Abstract

This study assessed the factors influencing the increase in the choice of nursing as career among students at the Department of Nursing, Njala University, Bo District. It adopted a descriptive research design to collect data on a sample size of 96 students. Data was collected the Career Search Questionnaire and was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, etc.) and inferential statistics (regression). Results revealed that majority of the respondents were female (70.8%) and only few (29.2%) were male and very young. According to the results, the major factors influencing the choice of nursing as a career include the following: Reliable income (P<10%), recommendation by parent (P<10%) and love of the nursing uniform (P<10%). This study recommends the following: To increase male participation in the career, there is need for massive advocacy, career counseling scholarships for male students and maintain positive perception particularly through the mass media. For those who love to care for the sick, there is need for frequent in-service trainings either within the healthcare institutions or sending healthcare workers abroad for further trainings so as to strengthen what the university provides. Furthermore, there is need for career counseling rather than compulsion since the career is about saving lives and finally, healthcare institutions must do more research on which uniform looks more attracting and make it either free or by subsidizing it to be afforded by all opting for the profession.

Key words: Factors, choice of nursing, career students, department of nursing