PERCEPTIONS TOWARD CONSIDERING NURSING AS A CAREER CHOICE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

PERCEPTIONS TOWARD CONSIDERING NURSING AS A CAREER CHOICE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS Muhammad Kamil Che Hasan, Nurul Syafiqah Jusoh, Siti Hazariah Abdul Hamid Mohd Said Nurumal* Kulliyyah of Nursing, International Islamic University Malaysia, Bandar Indera Mahkota, Pahang, Malaysia *E-mail: mohdsaid@iium.edu.my Abstract Demand for a nursing career in Malaysia has increased, although it has not been a popular course of choice among students. Understanding the perceptions of students about nursing may help identify any misconception toward the profession and their consideration to choose nursing as a career. This study aimed to identify the perceptions of secondary school students about nursing and their potential interest in joining a nursing career. A cross-sectional study using convenience sampling was conducted among 155 students by administering a High School Students Self-Administered Questionnaire from three selected secondary schools in Kuantan, Pahang Malaysia. Overall, the respondents positively perceived the nursing profession, although several parts were viewed negatively. Despite having a positive notion about nursing, only 18.1% of the respondents were interested to select nursing as their career and a majority of them were women. In conclusion, no significant difference in perceptions about nursing and consideration to choose nursing as a career was found. Nevertheless, the image of nurses and a nursing career need to be improved in the eye of students and societies. In addition, the students were not aware of the benefits of nursing with several misconceptions of genders and doctor’s aid. Overall, the status of nursing in Malaysia should be enhanced to make it a valuable career. Keywords: career, choice, nursing, perception, secondary school, students