The international landscape reveals level shows that the nursing workforce has significantly decreased in recent years, and its recruitment has become a priority in healthcare systems worldwide (Woodward & Willgerodt, 2020). The recruitment and retention of Generation Z nurses, born between 1995 and 2010, emerge as pivotal to the nursing profession's sustainability and the delivery of quality healthcare (Marć et al., 2019). Understanding the motivations driving this generational cohort's choice of nursing as a career is imperative for effective engagement (McDiarmid et al., 2021; Marznaki et al., 2021). However, the factors influencing Generation Z's career preferences in nursing remain largely uncharted. Global dynamics, including the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly elderly population, have spotlighted the indispensable role of nurses in healthcare systems (Shun, 2021). The COVID-19 crisis and an ageing nursing workforce, with a projected 4.7 million retirements in the next decade, contribute to a looming shortage of 13 million nurses (ICN, 2020). This deficit stems from multifaceted factors: suboptimal working conditions, including inadequate protection, escalating workloads, and low remuneration, alongside the mass trauma endured by nurses during the pandemic, potentially causing 2.5 million to exit the profession (ICN, 2020; Buchan et al., 2022).

The repercussions of this nursing shortage are profound, with far-reaching effects on health systems and societies for years to come (ICN, 2020). To bridge the gap and mitigate these crises, a concerted effort is needed, including an annual 8 % increase in nursing graduates and improved strategies for recruiting and retaining new graduates by 2030 (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020). Nations and healthcare systems must proactively allure and retain nursing talents while bolstering domestic nursing education programs to meet and surpass the surging demand (World Health Organization [WHO], 2021).

In this context, comprehending the motivations that drive students to pursue nursing degrees takes on paramount importance, as it can serve as a compass for recruiting and retaining the next generation of nurses (Marznaki et al., 2021).