Elsevier

Collegian

Volume 22, Issue 2, June 2015, Pages 161-167
Collegian

Nursing students’ intentions to enter primary health care as a career option: Findings from a national survey

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.02.001Get rights and content

Summary

This paper reports findings from the first phase of a national study conducted to identify the intention of nursing students’ to work in a Primary Health Care setting following registration. An online survey of final year nursing students enrolled at Australian universities offering education leading to eligibility for registration as a nurse with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency was undertaken during July–August 2014. Data were collected about students’ intention to enter Primary Health Care as a career option, as well as their exposure to primary health care during their nursing education and whether they had undertaken practice placements in a primary health care setting. Analysis was conducted on 456 completed surveys. The findings demonstrated that, despite the majority (98.2%; n = 447) of students being exposed to Primary Health Care during their studies, less than a quarter (22.8%; n = 104) of the students who responded identified this as an area in which they intended to work following registration. No association was found between students’ clinical experiences and their identification of primary health care as a career preference. Given the ageing population in Australia, the increased prevalence of chronic health issues and the predicted ongoing primary health care workforce shortages, educational and workplace strategies aimed at attracting new graduate nurse into Primary Health Care settings are imperative.

Section snippets

Introduction and background

Australia, like many other countries around the world, is facing increasing healthcare pressures. The ageing population and the growing prevalence of chronic illness combined with a growing demand for accessible healthcare services have emphasised the need for a sustainable, skilled healthcare workforce. Notably, this has also focused attention on the importance of the primary health care workforce (Department of Health and Ageing, 2010). The role of registered nurses within Primary Health Care

Study aim and objectives

This component of the study aimed to identify the intentions of final year (pre-registration) nursing students’ to enter PHC as a career option following registration. Further study objectives sought to identify any association between nursing students’ exposure to PHC during their education and their intention to enter PHC as a career option following registration and whether an association existed between nursing students’ participation in practice placements in the primary care setting and

Methods

A quantitative on-line (SurveyMonkey®) and anonymous cross-sectional survey of final year nursing students was conducted in Australian universities (n = 14).

Results

In total 519 questionnaires were submitted from which data from 456 were analysed. Participants ranged in age from 19–65 years (mean = 30.7) and the majority were female (89.3%; n = 413). The largest number of participants were enrolled in a Bachelor of Nursing program (90.6%; n = 413). Participant demographics are presented in Table 1. Respondents represented all Australian states and territories (Table 2). This size of this representation was not equal with the majority of responses submitted by

Discussion

The recruitment of new graduate nurses to a PHC setting directly following completion of a pre-registration tertiary nursing degree is a strategy that has the potential to significantly increase nursing capacity and retention within the PHC workforce (Gordon et al., 2014). Only 22.8% of the participating final year nursing students anticipated a career in PHC following qualification as a registered nurse. This was despite the majority of students reporting that they had completed practice

Limitations

It is recognised that several limitations influence the generalizability of findings from this study. Although the study is the first undertaken in Australia to explore the views of final year nursing students’ towards a transition program to PHC for new graduate nurses, the sample was self-selected and findings may, therefore, not reflect the views of all nursing students in Australia. Another limitation relates to the manner in which categories pertaining to career choice preferences were

Conclusion

Current and predicted nursing workforce shortages in PHC are a global concern. These shortages are expected to continue to impact on the ability of PHC settings, particularly general practice, to meet the future needs of the Australian population and the changing focus of health care policy towards the coordination of chronic illness management in the community. Innovative ways of attracting and sustaining a skilled PHC nursing workforce are urgently required.

Findings from this study have

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