Public values and beliefs toward nursing as a career

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of "ideal career" and "nursing as a career." The goal was to provide information for development of innovative recruitment strategies. The sample of 1,116 included college freshmen, students in grades 6 through 12, parents, school nurses, teachers, and counselors. Data were analyzed by t test and analysis of variance to determine differences in attitudes between "ideal career" and "nursing as a career." Similar perceptions for both were opportunities for employment, application of intellectual abilities, caring for people, and an opportunity for academic and scholastic achievement. An "ideal career" was seen as more financially rewarding, more respected, and more powerful than nursing, and as providing more opportunities for leadership, for making decisions, for obtaining and applying knowledge, and for working in a safe environment. Recommendations include strategies to improve recruitment and retention of nurses.