Career Preferences and Preparedness for Employment among Nursing Interns at Selected Nursing College, Chennai

Background: The nurses are always in high demand. Presently, nursing constitutes the largest occupational group in the healthcare industry, with nearly 59% of medical professionals working as nurses. Nursing practice occurs in multiple care settings, including health care institutions and foundations, community, and home (James, 2018). The International Council of Nurses (ICN) (2021) projects that over 13 million nurses worldwide are required to bridge the gap in the nursing shortage by 2030. Aims: This study was aimed to determine the Career Preferences and Preparedness for employment among Nursing Interns at Selected Nursing College, Chennai. Materials and methods: The present study was conducted using descriptive research design at Apollo College of Nursing, Chennai. The sample size was 98 nursing interns who met the inclusion criteria were, they were selected using total enumerative sampling technique. The data was collected by self- administration method using predetermined and validated tools such as background variables proforma, semi structured questionnaire to assess preferences and rating scale to assess the preparedness for employment in Google forms. The link was sent to the participants through whats -app and Emails, after obtaining informed consent. Data was analyzed according to the objectives and hypotheses of the study using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Majority of nursing interns felt confident to communicate with physicians (73.3%), had the ability to solve problems (76%), 70.7% have assertiveness to stand for the rights of patients/ colleagues, 77.3% of interns are ready for their professional roles preparedness for employment and among them 65.3%were happy for choosing nursing as a career. Conclusion: The findings of the study revealed that, majority of the final years nursing students were completely prepared for the employment from student nurses to nursing professionals and many of them preferred their career as staff nurse.