Perceptions of the Nursing Profession Among Palestinian Nursing Students Across Academic Years: A Cross-Sectional...

Nursing is the focal point in the delivery of healthcare services; however, it is still facing challenges related to the image of the nursing profession, especially in resource-constrained countries like Palestine, where societal attitudes and limited resources can negatively impact the perception and recruitment of nursing professionals. The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of the nursing profession among Palestinian nursing students across academic years.

A cross-sectional design was used in July 2025, consisting of 323 nursing students from southern West Bank universities. Perceptions were measured by a 26-item instrument, the Nursing Image Scale (NIS), which includes subscales for General Appearance, Communication, and Occupational/Educational. SPSS software was used for data analysis.

The overall mean Nursing Image Scale (NIS) score was 4.09 ± 0.29 (out of 5), indicating generally favorable perceptions of the nursing profession. The overall NIS score did not significantly differ across academic years (p = 0.941). Domain-level descriptive patterns suggested relatively stable perceptions of general appearance, with minor variations observed in communication and occupational/educational domains, indicating that while general appearance is viewed positively, there may be concerns or mixed feelings about how nurses communicate and their educational qualifications. Marital status (p = 0.045) and having a family member in nursing (p = 0.049) were significantly associated with perception scores.

Although the overall mean NIS score indicated generally positive perceptions of nursing, the domain-level patterns suggest the presence of some uncertainty regarding aspects of the profession.