Student nurses' attitudes toward a career in community health

Changes in the practice of health care delivery to include a greater focus on community-based care is becoming an issue of increasing importance throughout the Western World. In Australia, factors such as a reduction in the average patient stay within acute care hospitals and the allocation of additional funds to community resources presents evidence of this change in focus. Nurses, who form the largest professional group involved with health care delivery, must by necessity become an important part of such change. A significantly larger number of nurses will be required to work in the community in the future. Despite this trend, there is a paucity of research examining the attitudes of student nurses towards a possible career in the area of community health. In order to address this deficit, a longitudinal study examining the career preferences of undergraduate nursing students is being conducted. The study sample comprises undergraduate nursing students from 9 universities in the State of Victoria. The results of stage 1 of this research are presented in this paper. The findings indicate that at the commencement of their educational program, undergraduate student nurses do not have a strong understanding of or interest in the area of community health nursing. A preference for employment within a hospital environment, particularly in the highly technical areas, and in the care of mothers and babies, is evident. The implication of these findings for the future of community health nursing is briefly discussed.