Nursing students' perceptions of nursing: a descriptive study of four cohorts

AIMS: The study aims to describe nursing students' changing perception of nursing over 4 years of the nursing programme and examine whether perception differed by gender, previous study or choice of nursing education. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used, with a probability sample of 606 students. Respondents were a random sample of 50% of each of the four educational cohorts studying within the academic year 2008-2009 in one baccalaureate nursing programme at a Jordanian public university. A specifically designed tool of statements of nursing definitions based on nursing theories, the nursing literature and sociocultural beliefs was used to identify student nurses' perception of nursing. FINDINGS: Student perceptions changed from lay altruistic beliefs of nursing to theoretical medical technological views of the profession denoting a theory-practice gap. Perceptions also differed by gender, having a previous associate degree in nursing and a priority choice to study nursing. CONCLUSION: Such results delineated the importance of revising nursing schools' curricula and the universities' admission policies into the nursing profession.