Comparing Perception About Nursing Profession Among Degree, Diploma and Associate Nursing Students and Factors Influencing Enrolment in the Nursing Programs

Background: The variations between the perception of the profession of nursing and the reality of practice can lead to problems in student attrition or result in disappointment with a career in nursing after a new graduate enters practice. Objective: To assess and compare Nurses’ Perception among Associate, Diploma and Degree nursing students about Nursing profession and factors influencing enrolment in the nursing programs in Eritrea. Methods: Institution based quantitative cross sectional study design was used. 403 intended study participants was selected from about 700 population using a multi stage systematic sampling method from the Bachelors of Science in Nursing, Diploma and Associate nursing students in the School of Nursing, Asmara College of Health Sciences and School of Associate Nurses (Mendefera, Barentu and Ghindae). Data collection was carried out using a pre structured questionnaire. The collected data was entered using CSPro version 6.3 and SPSS version 22.00 for further analysis. ANOVA and Odds ratio was calculated for perception difference and related factors. A p-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The response rate was 92.06%, 371 students. 228 (61.5%) females and 143 (38.5%) were males. 190 (51.2%) associates, 128 (34.5%) diploma and 53 (14.3%) were degree nursing students. The tenet of public image and practice got significant difference among the three groups of nursing students, Values subscale revealed no significant differences. When controlling for demographic effect, practice and public image were significantly different among the groups. Associate nursing students’ perception found significant difference in their view of the public image of nursing. In the seven out of the 14 factors influencing enrolment in the nursing programs significant association was found among the nursing students with their perception to the nursing profession. Conclusion: Associate nursing students have positive perception towards the profession and motivation to enroll than BSN and Diploma.