Why do Nursing Students Have Low Intention in Become Nurse? An early Finding from a Qualitative Study Fera Agusti Ningrum (a*), Wastu Adi Mulyono (a)
a) Department of Nursing, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, Indonesia *fera.ningrum[at]mhs.unsoed.ac.id
Abstract
Background: Amid a rising demand for nursing professionals, world continues to face a significant nursing shortage. One contributing factor is the persistently low intention among nursing students to pursue a career in nursing, despite efforts by professional organizations to promote socialization into the profession.
Purpose: This study aims to explore the underlying factors that contribute to the low intention of nursing students to become professional nurses.
Method: Employing a qualitative phenomenological approach. Data were collected through interview, observation and documentation. Eight nursing student from jenderal soedirman university participated in in-depth, unstructured interviews. Data analysis was carried out using the miles and huberman thematic analysis framework (1994).
Result: The study identified six major themes influencing students^ low career intention: social influences, lack of professional role models, negative perceptions of nursing, low self-efficacy, prior experiences, and beliefs about future consequences.
Conclusion: A low intention to become a nurses may reflect personal career preferences. However, this trend raises concerns regarding the future nursing workforce. Nursing education programs should therefore strengthen career guidance and promote positive professional identity to help students understand the value and opportunities within the nursing profession.
Keywords: career intention, self-efficacy, social influence, professional identity, nursing education
