This study aimed to investigate newly admitted nursing students’ viewpoints about training to become a professional nurse. Similar to previous findings, altruistic motives, opportunities for self-development as well as career aspirations were highlighted during the interviews [3–7]. Students emphasised enthusiasm, excitement, eagerness to learn nursing and start the training, consistent with a high average in ratings of positive emotions in line with previous research [17].
When the students described their motives to become a RN it seemed like several orientations had an equal impact on student’s motivation to start the program. The phenomenon has been described as the complexity of learning orientations, meaning that an individual student’s orientation is usually a complex mix of two or more different learning orientations [18]. Even so, all of the orientations of learning, including sub-types, were possible to identify when discussing reasons to become a RN, Table 3.
Table 3
Orientations connected to main categories
Orientations | Interest | Main category |
---|
Vocational | Intrinsic | Nursing as role model |
Develop nursing attitudes and skills |
Opportunities to impact the future |
Extrinsic | Develop nursing attitudes and skills |
Opportunities to impact the future |
Academic | Intrinsic | Self-confidence in a new environment |
Develop nursing attitudes and skills |
Extrinsic | Nursing as role model |
Opportunities to impact the future |
Personal | Intrinsic | Self-confidence in a new environment |
Develop nursing attitudes and skills |
Opportunities to impact the future |
Stimulating hands-on teamwork |
Extrinsic | Nursing as role model |
Develop nursing attitudes and skills |
Stimulating hands-on teamwork |
Social | Intrinsic | Nursing as role model |
Self-confidence in a new environment |
Opportunities to impact the future |
Stimulating hands-on teamwork |
Extrinsic | Nursing as role model |
Develop nursing attitudes and skills |
Stimulating hands-on teamwork |
When the students described their motives to become a RN both individual vocational and personal learning orientations came to the fore as some of the students had planned their future career while others focused on personal development. The altruistic motives and the desire to contribute to society that was emphasised in line with high ratings of determination, commitment and enthusiasm. These finding indicated that the newly admitted nursing students in general had a strong intrinsic social learning orientation [19].
To have nursing as a role model derived both from interactions with health care personnel and the impact of family members [7, 9]. Almost two-thirds of the participating students had a family member in health care, compared to thirteen percent in available comparative data for one specific age group [10].
Highly self-rated feelings of being competent were supported by verbal statements demonstrating self-confidence in a new environment, as students expressed a belief in their own capability, both in education and in the upcoming role in the workplace. Looking across the students’ interview statements in relation to this topic, all four types of orientations to learning, including sub-types, could readily be identified [18, 19].
Self-rated experienced enthusiasm and interest, Table 2, were in line with the spoken statements that students expected to develop nursing attitudes and skills to become a professional RN. The professional status of an RN was often highlighted, students looked forward to gain both practical and academic skills of an RN. Self-improvement were often mentioned, which could be seen as indicating a strong personal orientation [18]. Personal development was also important, mentioned in terms like improving social or personal conditions and such views could be linked to students’ adopting an intrinsic social orientation [19]. The high ratings in feeling challenged, Table 2, could indicate that students are aware of their need for further knowledge.
Despite the student’s awareness of existing problems in today’s health care, the opportunities to impact the future were highlighted recurrently. Students belief in their capability to make a difference and the high self-rated results of feeling challenged, indicates that students have a strong intrinsic social orientation. Their self-awareness became clear during interviews, students described both their personal strengths and weaknesses. Even so, they expressed awareness of their need of further knowledge to become competent RNs. According to [22] the first-year experiences of HE is essential for the development of self-efficacy as an important aspect of the learning process. There was an outspoken confidence, that by acquiring academic, professional and personal knowledge, students would have the ability to make changes both in people’s life’s as well as in the organizational system. However, it has been shown that even if students believe in their own ability to cope with organizational issues, they may develop negative perceptions of the profession when influenced by the working environment and interactions with healthcare personnel [5].
In the category stimulating hands-on teamwork, students highlighted the ability to work in teams having expectations of being a part of a community. The students expressed an inner motivation to belong to a team working together, both as students and in their upcoming profession. The descriptions of the atmosphere, both at the university and in health care, were highlighted as enjoyable and desirable, were interpreted as a social intrinsic orientation [19].
Ratings of negative stress, nervousness, and fear, Table 2, correspond to what all students voiced, that is a fear of not managing the task, in both training and as an RN. Stress, depression and anxiety are commonly occurring negative affective states in young adults that can affect learning and success in a professional nursing program [15]. When describing negative emotions students talked about making clinical mistakes or failing exams. To do something wrong in a clinical setting leading to pain or even death in another human being was clearly considered much worse than failing an exam at the university [16].
The students spoke about surrounding factors prohibiting success in both personal life and in organizational structures. Worries about combining studies with social family life, and financial issues were seen as hindering factors. Outspoken doubts where a threat to both personal orientations and social orientations [18]. Despite this, self-confidence and a belief in their own opportunities became apparent when discussing fears. Life and/or work experiences has an impact on self-confidence during nursing training, but more research is needed on how this impacts students [16]. It has also been shown that understanding first year students, the nurse perspective and insight into their coping strategies are essential to supporting a positive learning journey [22]. Learning orientations encapsulate the complex nature of a student’s aims, attitudes, purposes for studying [18]. Further studies could explore students’ development of professional identities as RN:s.
Limitations and strengths
This study offered a broad sample of students starting the nursing program. The fact that the sample was from one university could be seen as a limitation. On the other hand, is Swedish nursing education regulated by national standards. All interviews were performed by the first author who worked as a lecturer at the university. It could be considered as a strength to have knowledge about the students’ environment although interviewing students as a teacher may lead to ethical issues. To reduce confounding factors the interviews were conducted when the students did not take courses where the interviewer had any examination responsibility.