What Nursing Students Want A Co-sponsored Study by the Canadian Nursing Students’ Association and Bernard Hodes Group

Bernard Hodes Group A fully integrated recruitment communications and staffing solutions provider The Hodes Health Care Practice has several RNs/Consultants on staff A significant % of our revenue comes from the health care sector Part of Omnicom Group – a global leader in advertising and marketing communications

Canadian Nursing Students’ Association CNSA - AEIC is the voice of nursing students in Canada 35-year history Over 10,000 members Affiliate member of the Canadian Nurses Association Works closely with the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing

Purpose of this Study To better understand the characteristics of future health care practitioners currently enrolled in colleges throughout Canada Reasons for pursuing a career in health care Reasons for selecting their school of choice What issues in Canadian health care are important to nursing students

Purpose of this Study What nursing graduates are looking for from prospective employers Provide feedback to employers about the most effective ways to recruit and retain nursing graduates Assess the effectiveness of the CNSA in its attempt to reach out and speak for its members

Methodology Bernard Hodes Group partnered with CNSA-AEIC Conducted a bilingual online survey within the Association’s membership Survey was implemented between September 23 - November 14, 2005 First national survey of its type in Canada

Methodology Survey consisted of 27 questions covering: - student demographics and program enrollment - career issues and expectations - reasons for choosing a nursing career - health care career paths - selection criteria and influences in choosing a nursing school - evaluation and importance of clinical experiences - current and future employment opportunities/expectations - evaluation of hospital websites - assessment of the CNSA in reaching its membership

Methodology A total of 1,557 respondents completed the survey

Findings

Respondent Profile Age of Respondents Gender

Respondent Profile Ethnicity

Respondent Profile Full or Part Time Type of Program

Respondent Profile Home Province/Territory

Respondent Profile School Province/Territory

Respondent Profile Year of Program Study

Career Path Attended University directly from High School

Career Path Did not attend University directly from High School

Career Path Reasons for choosing Nursing

Career Path Important Issues

Career Path Reasons for Selecting School

Career Path Distance from Home to School

Career Path Number of Clinical Assignments

Career Path Ratings of Clinical Assignments

Career Path Will Apply or Avoid Facility Where Clinical Experience Held Will avoid working at facility as a result of clinical experiences Will apply due to experiences during clinical rotations

Career Path Work Preference at Graduation

Career Path Where Would you Like to Work?

Career Path Employment Choice

Career Path Preference in Hospital Setting

Career Path Personal Development

Career Path Most Likely Career Plans

Career Path Influence on Career Plans - All

Career Path Influence on Career Plans - 4 and 5 Ratings Only

Career Path Influence on Choice of Hospital

Career Path Career Outlook

Career Path Number of Websites Visited to Learn of Career Opportunities

Career Path Important Elements on Websites

Implications for Employers Nursing Students are fairly realistic in their understanding of the current employment marketplace A positive Clinical experience has a direct correlation with the ability to attract and recruit talent Location is a prime consideration in selecting an initial employer Continuing education is an important attract factor Full-time positions are the most desirable

Implications for Employers 26% of respondents are over 25 years old 27% of respondents have had previous career and/or other experience Communications programs must reflect the diversity of non- traditional students within the target audience A variety of communications tools must be used to reach potential nursing students/candidates Employers need to nurture the relationship with students – CRM ‘candidate relationship management’

Implications for Employers Nursing students are both altruistic and practical in their reasons for choosing a career in nursing Nursing students are optimistic about their career prospects They are reasonably well informed about issues confronting Canadian health care Students are realistic about the ‘pragmatics’ of their first employment position They want FTE or Permanent positions and benefits with flexibility.

Implications for Employers The majority of respondents prefer acute care settings as their preferred place of employment Many intend to continue to pursue higher learning opportunities Teaching hospitals are preferred The majority intend to work close to home The internet is only one of many sources of information when seeking information about potential employment opportunities

For more information about this survey, please contact: Colleen Ferris Vice-President Education & Research Stephen G. Mitchell Vice President Health Care Division