Understanding nursing graduates' intention to work with older adults: An exploratory structural framework

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Development

Background:

• Gerontogeriatric competencies are crucial for addressing the care needs of aging populations.
• Newly graduated registered nurses (NGRNs) show a low intention to work with older adults.
• Understanding factors influencing NGRNs' career choices in geriatrics is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the structural relationships between nursing education, gerontogeriatric competencies, ageism, and the intention to work with older adults among NGRNs.
• To identify key predictors influencing the career intentions of newly graduated nurses in geriatric care.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in Portugal with 242 NGRNs.
• Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) was employed to analyze relationships between latent constructs.
• Key constructs included Nursing Education (NEDU), Gerontogeriatric Competencies (GGC), Ageism (AAS_HA, AAS_BA), and Intention to Work with Older Adults (INT_OA).

Main Results:

• A significant positive association was found between nursing education and perceived gerontogeriatric competencies (b = 0.437, p < 0.0001).
• No statistically significant structural associations were observed between gerontogeriatric competencies or ageism and the intention to work with older adults.
• Model estimation faced convergence difficulties, limiting full structural framework identification and global fit indices.

Conclusions:

• While nursing education enhances gerontogeriatric competence, it does not directly predict the intention to work with older adults.
• The intention to work with older adults is influenced by complex, potentially contextual factors beyond education and competence.
• Further research with refined theoretical models and larger samples is recommended to fully understand these relationships.