STUDENT NURSES’ PERCEIVED GOALS AND FUTURE CAREER PATHWAYS WITHIN NURSING: ARE THEY REALISTIC? | Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing Home Archives Vol. 20 No. 4 (2003): June - August 2003 Research Papers Main Article Content

Catherine Ward, RN, MEd, PhD
Anna Bosco, RN, MSc
Irene Styles, RN, PhD

Keywords

student nurses, image of nursing, goals, career pathways

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore student nurses’ perceptions of nursing, their perceived goals as nurses and their future career pathways. The study involved a cross sectional approach using Ford’s (1986) taxonomy of human goals as a theoretical framework. This paper presents a part of a larger study that involved two groups of nursing students, however the findings from one group only are reported. A questionnaire was administered to 126 nursing students enrolled in the first semester of a nursing degree program. Results revealed four main goals students hold as a nurse: first, Happiness (satisfaction for self and others), second, Evaluation (self efficacy), third, Social Validation (opportunity to help others), and, fourth, Safety (job security). Results also indicated that nursing provides opportunity for travel and the participants had a limited perception of career paths. Findings have implications for nurse education (long and short term), especially in regard to providing a realistic view of nursing as a profession and future career pathways. These findings are especially significant given the current shortage of nurses.

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