Attitudes and work preferences toward older people among Malay undergraduate nursing students

Abstract

Attitudes and work preferences toward older people among Malay undergraduate nursing students

Sharifah Munirah Syed Elias, Nor Faeziah Jaafar, Lee Siew Pien

* Department of Special Care Nursing, Kulliyyah of Nursing, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan 25200, Malaysia

* E-mail: siewpien@iium.edu.my

Abstract

Background: The aging population is increasing globally and requires a high demand for healthcare services in several countries. As a way of preparing future nurses in aged care, substantial incorporation of gerontology courses in the nursingprogram to meet future needs is required. The present study aimed to investigate the association between attitudes andwork preferences toward older people among undergraduate nursing students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 291 nursing students at a Malaysian public university. A set of questionnaires was used that comprised the following three parts: (1) Part A: Sociodemographic background, (2) Part B: Attitudes toward older people,and (3) Part C: Nursing students’ work preferences. Results: Most of the participants (80.4%) demonstrated slightlypositive attitudes on older people. Only 2.4% selected older people group as their work preference. There were nosignificant associations between attitudes with sex (p = 0.84), year of study (p = 0.30), living status (p = 0.77), and workpreferences (p = 0.81). Conclusion: Overall, the majority of participants had slightly positive attitudes on older people.Although they had positive attitudes on older people, working in aged care setting is not their first preference after theirgraduation.

Keywords: aged care, attitude, nursing student, work preference, older people