Becoming a nurse - A study of career choice and professional adaptation among Israeli Jewish and Arab nursing students: A quantitative research study

摘要

Background: The growing shortage of nurses is a global issue, with nursing recruitment and retention recognizedas priorities worldwide. Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs share residency and citizenship. However, language,religion, values, customs, symbols and lifestyle differ between the groups. This research covers only Arab citizensof Israel and not those in the occupied territories, the West Bank and Gaza. The future of the profession lies in theability to recruit and retain the next generation of nurses.Objective: To examine career choice and professional adaptation among Israeli Jews and Israeli Arab nursingstudents by addressing motivation, materialistic factors and professional adaptation.Participants & Settings: 395 students, which comprised the total number of students in the first five years of thenursing program's existence, in the nursing faculty at an academic college in Israel.Method: A questionnaire was created and administered to the students in the first week of their first year in thenursing program. Results: Altruistic motivation, such as the opportunity to help others, was the primary factor that influencedstudents to choose nursing as a profession followed by professional interest. Materialistic factors, such as socialstatus and good salary, had less influence. A significant positive correlation was found between professionaladaptation and all three dimensions of role perception - teamwork, professional knowledge, and treatmentskills. The female students perceived those components as more important than the male students and theJewish students perceived themselves as more suitable for nursing than the Arab students.Conclusions: Career choice and professional adaptation are influenced by multiple factors. Future recruitment andretention strategies used to address the critical nursing shortage should consider these factors, as well as the roleof mentors, peers, and role models in the formulation of career expectations and career choice decisions.