Professional selection is a lifelong process that forms the life path of people and the staffing of healthcare. In this case, a number of factors come into play, including individual self-interest, availability of employment opportunities related to the course, perceptions of nursing, and the learning institution.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to identify the decision-making factors for career choice nursing students of Swat.
Methodology: Quantitative cross-sectional research was used to establish factors affecting career decisions among students in nursing schools in Swat. The current study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive research design where a sample of 300 participants was selected using convenient sampling techniques and were asked to complete a structured self-complete questionnaire. The data were analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 27; descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to investigate relationships.
Results: The study aimed to establish factors that were relevant to the career choice of 300 nursing students in Swat. The finding showed that the desire to help people, security, and family motivation played a significant role. Participants also reported a moderate level of satisfaction with the chosen career. Independently, a statistically significant relationship was noted regarding the subject’s age, gender, year of study, preferences, and influential factors such as the desire to assist other people and role models.
Conclusion: This study has found that age, gender, and academic year influence career choice. Studies recommended enhancing the quality of the current mentorship, providing a better perspective from society, and creating better opportunities for job offers.

Career choice, Nursing students, Influencing factors, Personal motivation, Demographic collection.

Professional decisions among nurses are critical in the lives of people and the workforce in the healthcare sector. This decision is, however, partly influenced by factors such as personal reasons, available employment opportunities, attitudes towards nursing professions, and institutions among the nursing students.[1] However, many of these factors cumulatively influence perceptions of nursing and the actual number of students interested in pursuing and continuing with their nursing courses and, therefore, the nature of the nursing workforce.[2]

The nursing profession is widely recognized for its significant responsibilities, requiring individuals to demonstrate patience, attentiveness, and perseverance in their work.[3] Self-interest is the most crucial function in the choice of a nursing career, because pupils contemplate, without the influence of their families or earlier careers in healthcare environments, and a perceived calling upon Divine work to tend to numerous people.[4] Moreover, the internal factors characteristic of the choice of a career, including the desire to become a caregiver and extrinsic motivation connected with job stability or the opportunities for promotion, also play a role in this case.[5] This knowledge is critical for the development of optimization tactics for student participation in nursing education.[6]

The field of profession and social perception play a crucial role in decisions concerning a career in nursing.[7] The nursing profession offers good job opportunities, variety, and practicality almost anywhere in the world. For instance, in Pakistan, it is believed that nursing is a profession for women only, or is not as respectable as, for example, engineering, which may discourage any man, or anyone with different professional aspirations.[8] Exploring such perceptions is therefore crucial to overcome any hurdles and make the nursing profession more attractive.[9]

The educational environment also plays an important role in career decisions for nursing students. Quality interaction with members of the faculty, perceived receipt of inspiring role models, and the quality of clinical experiences can keep nursing students focused.[10] On the other hand, the positive phenomena would be positive experiences such as effective academic pressure, availability of a trainer, or adequate clinical practice, while negative experiences would refer to dissatisfaction and population dropout due to high academic stress, no trainer, or little practice.[11] Consequently, if school directors or managers want to improve the retention rate and satisfaction level of the students, then it is necessary to strengthen the educational supportive system.[12]

A cross-sectional, quantitative research design was used to establish the factors that affect the career choice of nursing students in Swat, Pakistan. The research was conducted at nursing colleges/institutes of Swat, Pakistan, in the summer of June-August 2024. The target population included all the nursing students studying in the undergraduate nursing courses in the region. Convenience sampling method was used as a strategy so as to include as many nursing students as possible. The estimate of participants was based on an internationally accepted formula for cross-sectional prevalence studies, and a total of 300 participants was deemed adequate for the study.

Data collection procedure: The information in this study was obtained by use of a structured self-completion questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into three sections:

Demographic information: These include age, gender, the level of study, and marital status of the respondents.

Factors influencing career choice: With questions for assessing occupational self-efficacy, students first answer items that measure intrinsic motivation to become a nurse and extrinsic motivation to become a nurse (for example, I would like to be secure in my income and job field).

Educational and environmental influences: Measures evaluating the influence of faculty support, the presence of role models, and the clinic on career selection. It employed a 5 Likert scale to determine the level of agreement of participants with the statements concerning factors affecting career decisions.

Ethical considerations: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the institutional review board (IRB) committee of Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital (SGTH), Swat, Pakistan (Reference no: IRB/SGTH/2024). All participants signed an informed consent form, and data anonymity and confidentiality were always observed. All participants signed an informed consent form, and data anonymity and confidentiality were always observed.

Data analysis procedure: Data was then entered and analyzed using the statistical package SPSS software version 27. Demographic variables and key variables were described, using analyzes such as mean, standard deviation, and frequency tables. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were used to describe the study variables, while inferential statistics, including the chi-square test, were used to test the existence of significant relationships between demographic characteristics and career choice factors.

Demographic characteristics of study participants: The total number of participants in the study was 300, where the number of male participants was higher compared to female participants (Table 1).

Table 1: Demographic characteristics of participants

Table 2: Factors influencing career choice

Table 3: Factors influencing career choice among nursing students (n=300)

Table 4: Association between demographic variables and factors influencing career choice

Analyzing the findings of this study addressed the research questions formulated to understand the factors that may affect the career choice decision of students in nursing school in Swat, Pakistan, and their perceptions regarding a nursing career. Participants’ demographics showed that a considerable number of respondents were under the age of 18-22 (40%); male students were overrepresented in the study, with 70%, which can be considered a gender distribution that can be discussed in the context of nursing education. This quota has demonstrated that the samples include students from different academic years, although the first-year students dominate the study at 33.3%.

Identified below are some of the key factors that were seen to shape career decisions. Analysis of factors that influence career choice showed the following motivators. Concerning the importance of the reason “desire to help others,” it indicated that a number of the participants agreed with its importance, 43.3%, and strongly agreed, 31.7 % strongly agreed.[13] Likewise, the results tabulated on the “perceived job security” revealed the strength of the value given to job stability in the nursing profession because 31.7% strongly agreed, while 46.7% agreed.[14] There were the mediating effects of family members and role models on the views of the participants, where many participants agreed (36.7%)or strongly agreed (23.3%) on family influence, and 40% agreed and 26.7% strongly agreed on role models. These findings align with the study, which showed that 36.7% of participants agreed on family influence.[15]

The results of the demographic variables influencing factors offer further insights. Two of the items, “desire to help others” and “influence of the family members”, were proven to be significant with age, meaning younger students might be more selflessly oriented, and/or might be influenced more by their relatives. The results also show that there is a connection between gender and the “desire to help others” domain, suggesting that there could be a difference between males and females concerning motivational parameters, including students.[16] The study highlighted that the more the students advanced in their academic year, the more satisfied they were with influential role models in the nursing profession and feelings of satisfaction with their career choice.[17]

Analysis of the mean scores obtained in the surveys of the satisfaction-related variables implies a positive view of the nursing profession. The mean score for satisfaction with choice of career was 4.01, revealing that a majority of the participants were satisfied in their career choice, and the mean score of 3.95 on the motivational to continue scale also suggests that participants are equally interested in continuing their career in nursing, The study findings align with the study which showed that The mean score of music graduate for satisfaction with choice of career was 4.01.[18] Nevertheless, the outcomes of this study were largely positive; there are still a number of concerned areas that must not be disregarded, such as the matter of social attitude toward the nursing profession, and those factors external to the profession that may impact it but are yet to be optimized, such as earnings potential.[19,20]

To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, this study provides significant information about the state factors that motivate students in their choice of nursing careers in swat as well as motivational and societal barriers that need to be fixed by policymakers and educators to make nursing a more attractive professional career.

The study established that decisions made by nursing students in Swat depend on attributes like perceived job security, desire to help others, family, and role model encouragement. Many students were content with their decision to choose their field of study; however, the perception of being a nurse or nursing as a profession and issues with fiscal income gave students various responses. Demographic variables such as age, gender, and the year of the students were found to have significant relationships with the influences.

Based on these findings, the following recommendations are made: implementing effective mentorship programs, creating public awareness campaigns, and enhancing the media representation of nursing. Improving the capacity to earn, employment protection, and career advancement can be bolstered by policies to offer even greater encouragement that can increase students’ motivation and, hence, commitment to nursing. For the positive outcomes to sustain themselves, institutions and the community should always be involved.

Not reported

The work had no special funding.

Corresponding Author:
Sohail Rehman
Department of Orthopaedic
Registrar, Global Medics Ireland
Email: sann090909@gmail.com

Co-Authors:
Zia Ullah Jan, Talha Anwar, Muhammad Ayaz Khan
Department of Orthopaedic
Khyber Teaching Hospital, Pakistan

Asif Nawaz
Department of Orthopaedic & Trauma
Khyber Teaching Hospital, Pakistan

Musawer Iqbal
Department of Orthopaedic
University Hospital Waterford, Ireland

All authors contributed to the conceptualization, investigation, and data curation by acquiring and critically reviewing the selected articles. They were collectively involved in the writing – original draft preparation, and writing – review & editing to refine the manuscript. Additionally, all authors participated in the supervision of the work, ensuring accuracy and completeness. The final manuscript was approved by all named authors for submission to the journal.

Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the IRB committee of SGTH, Swat, Pakistan (Reference no: IRB/SGTH/2024). All participants signed an informed consent form, and data anonymity and confidentiality were always observed.

Not reported

None

https://doi.org/10.63096/medtigo3062319

Sohail R, Zia UJ, Asif N, Musawer I, Talha A, Muhammad AK. Factors Influencing Career Choice Among Nursing Students in Swat, KPK, Pakistan. medtigo J Med. 2025;3(1):e3062319. doi:10.63096/medtigo3062319 Crossref