This was not my first choice”: a qualitative exploration of first-year nursing students’ experiences of entering an unpreferred career

Not all nursing students enter nursing as their preferred career choice; admission restrictions, parental influence, and economic considerations may contribute to choosing nursing as an alternative. Little qualitative research has explored how first-year nursing students in Palestine experience and interpret this career-choice mismatch during the early stage of their nursing education. To explore the experiences, perceptions, and influences of first-year nursing students in Palestine who entered nursing as an alternative to their preferred career path. An exploratory qualitative design was used. Twenty-four first-year nursing students at a single institution, Modern University College in Palestine, were recruited using purposive sampling and participated in individual semi-structured interviews lasting 30–45 min between May and August 2026. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, and the study was reported in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ). Six themes were developed, describing participants’ experiences from entering nursing with an unfulfilled career preference, through family pressure and pre-entry stereotypes, to re-evaluation of nursing during the first year. Participants described coursework, skills laboratory learning, and supportive relationships with faculty and senior students as experiences associated with reconsidering their perceptions of nursing. At the time of interview, 12 participants (50.0%) described acceptance of nursing, 6 (25.0%) described conditional acceptance linked to a specialty aligned with their original interests, 3 (12.5%) remained uncertain about continuing in nursing, and 3 (12.5%) continued to consider alternative careers. Entering nursing as a non-preferred career choice did not follow a uniform trajectory. Participants described different pathways, including acceptance, conditional acceptance, uncertainty, and continued consideration of alternative careers. Education from an early stage and a positive relationship can offer opportunities to students who will get a chance to learn about nursing and make decisions about their careers according to their interest.