Television as a Career Motivator and Education Tool: A Final-Year Nursing Student Cohort Study

Daniel Terry,Blake Peck

doi:10.3390/ejihpe10010026

Abstract

Fictional medical programs are often used for more than just their recreational enjoyment; they can also influence career decision making. Very little research has examined the pedagogical value of fictional medical programs in terms of their motivational value in the choice of a nursing career. As such, the aim of this study was to examine what motivated nursing students to choose nursing careers, if fictional medical programs were motivators, and if they are used by students as a learning tool. The cross-sectional study collected data using a questionnaire and occurred between April and June 2018. The findings were generated from students’ short answers and extended responses within the questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. A total of 291 students participated (82.6% response rate), with motivations for entering nursing being similar to other international studies; however, as motivators, fictional medical television programs were rated higher than job security. Overall, students engage with medical television programs along a television–learning continuum, ranging from limited watching time, recognising inaccuracies, understanding dialogue, through to using fictional medical television programs as tools for learning. However, this is dependent on time, interest, current level of understanding, and a program’s perceived value.

Highlights

The motivation to enter the nursing profession has been well researched and is encompassed by the desire to help people, the altruism of the individual, financial drivers of the career outcome, and other factors which influence the individual to follow the career pathway [1]
Ward and Summers [19] argue that little learning may be achieved for nurses through medical television; this study demonstrates that the invisibility of the nurse in many medical television programs may have little impact on learning
It is clear that the use of television to both orientate and consolidate learning in terms of clinical care and communication is a common trend amongst students in the 20–29 year age bracket, and for those who are the first in their families to study at an undergraduate level

Summary

Introduction

The motivation to enter the nursing profession has been well researched and is encompassed by the desire to help people, the altruism of the individual, financial drivers of the career outcome, and other factors which influence the individual to follow the career pathway [1]. The perception of what nurses are—caring professionals who have desire to make a difference—is one of the most reported motives for entering the profession [2,3]. Television, can enhance or impede how the public perceives the ways in which health professionals, including nurses, should act and behave. It is these same narrow stereotypes that can influence the decisions to enter the profession and which can be—and often are—reinforced among those studying the profession [7,9]

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Discussion

Conclusion