Workplace Preferences and Expectations of Nursing Students: Gender and Generational Differences

The global nursing shortage has become a critical issue, worsened by poor working conditions, demographic shifts, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding nursing students' preferences and expectations is crucial for improving workforce retention, guiding decision-making, and enhancing job satisfaction. This study aimed to explore nursing students' preferences and expectations regarding working environment dimensions and analyze differences by gender and generation.

A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey targeting 1277 nursing students from Catalan universities between March 27 and June 26, 2023. Convenience sampling was applied. Preferences and expectations for all items were recorded on a scale from 0 (minimum) to 10 (maximum), and responses were regrouped into three categories: low (0-4), moderate (5-7), and high (8-10). Data analysis was conducted using R (version 4.3.0) under RStudio (version 2023.03.0). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test confirmed non-normal distribution of continuous variables. Comparisons by gender and generation were made using chi-square tests, with significance set at p < 0.05. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess internal consistency for the questionnaire items, confirming the reliability of the survey dimensions.

A significant gap was found in high category (scores 8-10) between nursing students' preferences, which exceeded 80% for all working environment dimension items and their expectations, which remained below 50% in all cases, indicating a noticeable disparity.

The study highlights a significant discrepancy between nursing students' high preferences (> 80%) for working environment dimensions and their low expectations (< 50%) of achieving them. This gap suggests that improving work conditions and recognition could stabilize the nursing workforce.