Student nurse recruitment: determinants for choosing a nursing program.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Marketing in Higher Education

Background:

• Effective nursing school recruitment requires understanding applicant decision-making factors.
• Marketing strategies can be employed to identify and leverage institutional strengths.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the primary factors influencing nursing school applicant choices.
• To identify distinct market segments within the applicant pool.
• To inform targeted recruitment strategies.

Main Methods:

• A mail survey was administered to 228 students and alumni.
• Canonical correlation analysis was used to identify market segments.

Main Results:

• Personal contacts and direct mail were the most effective awareness channels; other media were perceived as ineffective.
• Traditional students prioritized clinical instruction quality and financial aid.
• Nontraditional students valued convenience in their program choice.

Conclusions:

• Nursing programs should tailor recruitment materials to specific student segments.
• Marketing efforts should emphasize program strengths relevant to traditional and nontraditional applicants.