A qualitative descriptive study was carried out between January and June 2012 with the aim of determining the factors that influenced newly admitted student nurses of a medical training institution in choosing a career in nursing. A self-administered questionnaire with closed-ended questions and a five-point Likert’s rating scale was used to collect data from 300 students from the six sampled campuses. The data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) program and the results presented in form of texts, percentages, frequency tables, pie charts and bar graphs. Chi-square was used to test for associations in selected study variables. A p value of 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Ethical clearance was sought from the relevant authorities and the participants consented to filling the questionnaire. The results showed that 53.7% of the students were mainly influenced into joining nursing career by nurses, parents and relatives. Caring attitude and level of knowledge of the nurse role model were the most admired characteristics by the students. Care for the sick by the students prior to joining the college impacted on 77.0% (197) of the students’ decision to take a career in nursing. Based on these findings, it is recommended that secondary school students be provided with opportunities to carry out volunteer work in health care settings so that they can have an idea of what nursing is all about, prior to choosing the career.
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Kabanya et al. (2016) studied this question.