Current Attitudes of Jordanian Associated Nursing and Midwifery Students towards Their Future Professions (Published)
Background and Objective: Students’ attitudes influence their future career path selection which is of a significant interest to educators and professional agencies the objective of this study is to explore the attitudes of associated nursing and midwifery students towards their professions in Al-Balqa Applied University in the Northern District Colleges. Methods: The study researchers followed the style of analytical descriptive which provides accurate results, given that the study sample was derived from the community itself. A Five-point Likert Scale was used ( Strongly agree-five points / agree-four points / do not know-three points / disagree-two points / strongly disagree-one point). The eligible questionnaires for the analysis were 232. Thus, the overall response rate was 92.8%. Results: two third (69.4%) of students were from Nusaiba college. All of them are midwifery students, whereas the lowest percentage (7.8%) of participants was from Ajloun College. The number of midwives students (176, 75, 9%), while the number of associated nursing students was (56, 24.1%). Nearly half of the participants (49.6%) were in the first year of academic level, while reached a percentage of (21.1%) for third year academic level. More than half of the participants’ (56.5%) academic achievement was good, while lowest percentage (9.0%) was for accepted. Nearly two-thirds (65.9%) have relatives in the nursing profession, while (34.1%) have no relatives in the nursing profession. Finally, (69.4%) practiced in the clinical area, while (30.6%) of participants did not practice in the clinical area. No statically significant differences for students attitudes towards the profession, students attitudes towards personal attributes and students attitudes towards the profession, but there is a statistically significant difference at the level of significance (?≤0.05) for all domains and the domain as a whole according to the clinical practice. Conclusion: The majority of Jordanian students had a positive attitude towards their professions in nursing and midwifery. Jordan Ministry of Health, university educators and nursing regulatory bodies (JNC and JNMC) should develop nursing education programs, promote nursing strategies (guidance and counseling) and provide financial stability to promote these attitudes toward these professions.
Keywords: Associated Nursing, Attitudes, Midwifery, The Nursing Profession
Attitudes of Almajmaah University Undergraduate Nursing Students toward Older People’s Care (Published)
The aim of this study was to investigate attitudes of Saudi Arabia nursing students towards care for older people and, their intention and willingness to provide care for this population in the future. Nursing students at a Saudi Arabian university were sampled for the study. A cross section of the students (n = 250) completed the modified Kogan’s ‘Attitudes towards Older People Scale’ (1960) and data was analysed using SPSS (v.20). Findings indicate that nursing students have positive attitudes towards older people and that these positive attitudes are influenced by the Saudi socio-cultural context that promotes extended family structure with one or more older persons in most family units. Despite these positive attitudes, Saudi nursing students are unwilling to choose professional care of older people as a career path. Since this reluctance could be influenced by the dearth of educational content that improve students’ knowledge about the care needs of older people, the study recommends the establishment of educational programmes within nursing curriculum that promote a better understanding of older people’s care needs and thus enhance the value of caring for older people professionally.
Keywords: : Older People, Attitudes, Nursing, Saudi Arabia
Weight-Related Perceptions and Self-Reported Lifestyle Behaviors among Black Nurses in the United States (Published)
Obesity is a growing epidemic for both the general population and nursing profession. 50% of nurses are overweight or obese (Miller, Alpert, & Cross, 2008), with more than 40% of Black women obese in 2008 (CDC, 2011). This descriptive study examined weight-related perceptions and lifestyle behaviors of Black nurses (N=41) living in the US. Participants were recruited from the graduate and undergraduate nursing programs at Kean University. IRB-approved Informed Consent was obtained before completion of a 13-item questionnaire assessing weight perceptions and lifestyle behaviors. Body Mass Index (BMI; kg/m2) assessed weight (women, n = 33, M = 28.64, SD = 5.58; men, n = 8, M = 26.60, SD = 5.58). Mean BMI for US born nurses was 27.88 1.78 and 28.57 1.31 for non US born, not statistically significant at t = – 3.18, p = .752. 41% of the group perceived their weight as normal. A negative correlation (r = -.41, p =.008) existed between BMI and “Are you currently exercising?” Findings reinforce the need for additional study to understand whether current exercise reduces the BMI or whether those with increased BMI lack motivation to exercise.
Keywords: Attitudes, body mass index, body size, nurse-patient relations, obesity management, stereotypes