Family as a powerful factor that influences career choice in nursing
Family as a powerful factor that influences career choice in nursing

Summary/Abstract: Background: Due to the severe shortage of nurses in Israel and in the Western world, there is a need to rethink the factors influencing the decision to choose the nurse profession. The literature found that one of the factors that greatly influences on the student's decision is the family. Career choice is a major decision people make in their lifetimes. The family and close surroundings has and extremely significance in this decision. Research aims: To identify the factors that shape the world of children and adolescents throughout their years of development and the extent to which they influence the choice to study nursing. And to build a program that will expose them to the nurse profession and its advantages as a profession. Research Method: The qualitative approach is the first stage of a wider study that was employed on Israeli nursing students' perception of nurses' role in the aspect of communication skills. At this stage, 20 nursing students were interviewed. They shared with the researcher what motivated them and led to choosing the nursing profession. Findings: Interviewees' statements revealed (1) family as a central influence in their choice, (2) nursing studies as a second choice, (3) External motives - practical motives such as variety in employment and salary, (4) Internal motives - self-fulfillment and altruistic motives, and (5) a personal experience that had led them to choosing nursing studies. Conclusions: A better understanding of influential factors in choosing nursing profession as one's life profession will enable influencing choice at an early development stage leading to choosing nursing. Exposing children and their families, to nursing through age-appropriate activities will provide a positive and consistent experience of the profession and as such more youth will choose to study nursing. Thus, the number of nursing students will increase.

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