Nursing students' intention to work with the elderly after graduation: A qualitative study
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America’s population is aging. More than one in five Americans will be over 65 by 2030. These numbers are expected to challenge existing healthcare systems. The recruitment and retention of qualified, competent registered nurses (RNs) to care for this vulnerable population have become urgent. However, undergraduate baccalaureate nurses consistently report geriatric nursing as the least preferred clinical area to in work after graduation. To understand how graduating nurses discern their career intentions, a basic qualitative study was undertaken using Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior as an underlying theoretical framework. The purpose of the study was to understand and interpret nursing students’ experiences that are instrumental in their decision to choose gerontological nursing as a career upon graduation from nursing school. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with ten baccalaureate nursing students graduating from a nursing program recognized by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence. Thematic analysis using dramaturgical coding was used to analyze the data. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) personal connections, (b) agency to care, and (c) educators’ influence. Six key assertions interpreted from the data are discussed and provide an understanding of how nursing students perceive the needs of older adults and their care; and give insight into how they discern their career intention.
This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 30312851; ProQuest document ID: 2792176632. The author still retains copyright.
This item has not gone through this repository's peer-review process, but has been accepted by the indicated university or college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the specified degree.
| Type | Dissertation |
| Acquisition | Proxy-submission |
| Review Type | None: Degree-based Submission |
| Format | Text-based Document |
| Evidence Level | N/A |
| Research Approach | Qualitative Research |
| Keywords | Career Choices; Clinical Instruction; Nursing Students; Older Adults |
| Grantor | Capella University |
| Advisor | Canty-Mitchell, Janie; Cosimano, Michael; Lane, Carla |
| Level | PhD |
| Year | 2023 |
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