Influencing Factors in the Choice of Nursing as Career: A Study of Students in Nursing Training Institutions in Anambra State Nigeria

Abstract

Choice of career sometimes comes with difficulty especially the decision to choose professional courses of study. This is a descriptive study that determined the factors that influence the choice of nursing as career among students in nursing training institutions in Anambra State, Nigeria. Objectives of the study captured the influence of family pressure, peer group and personal factors in the choice of nursing as career among the students. Social cognitive theory by Lent, et al (2008) was used as basis for the study. The instrument used for data collection was researchers' structured questionnaire that was validated and tested for internal consistency with reliability index of 0.87. Sample of 207 respondents was drawn from a population of 443 students. Simple random sampling technique was applied in selecting the participants for the study. Data generated from the study were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Study revealed that nursing students in nursing training institutions in Anambra State have several factors that influenced their choice of nursing as career which include: family pressure (mean±SD=3.0±0.93). A good number of them (61.4%) were highly influenced by parental approval and some others (58.9%) by parental emotional attachment. Substantial number (45.4%) was influenced by their peer group. Personal factors such as believe that nursing will allow them focus on their dream for patient care (61.4%); that nursing is part of social commitment to the society (58.5%) with high income potential influenced their career choice. The researchers recommended that students should be guided in career choice to retain professional values and images.