AN EVALUATION OF ADOLESENT’S PERCEPTION TOWARDS NURSING AS A CHOICE OF CAREER AMOUNGST STUDENTS OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Nursing is the largest health care profession in the health care context (price et al., 2013), however the shortage of nurse is not a recent phenomenon.

Its central significance given the fact that the care permeates every stratum and segment of any parathions, which are elaborate in mature, places them in advantage position to render high quality services to the community (I O M, 2009).

The Sustainability of nursing depends on maintaining an equilibrium regarding those that enter and exit the profession. A multidimensional perspective about career choice has to be examined in order to situate the choice of nursing as a career among adolescents become physically and psychologically mature and acquires a personal identity (kozier and erb’s, 2012).

Career choice is one the critical decisions adolescents are expected to make as the effective choice will have positive impact on their self- concept development, and fulfillment of one’s life purpose.
Perception is the way in which something is regarded, understood or interpreted (S. Swarna, 2015).

It is important to a certain how students perceive nursing to be their career.
Florence nightingale defined nursing nearly 150 years ago as the act of living the environment of the patient to assist him in recovery (kozier and Erg’s, 2013).

The philosophy has also been defined by many nursing theorist and nursing associations.

Virginal Henderson was one of the first modern nurses is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he will perform unaided if had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge, and to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible (kozier and Erb’s 2012 ).
Choice is one selection or preference: that which is chosen or decided; the out come of a decision (livior 2015.) career is the series of job that a person has in a particular area of work usually involving more responsibility as time passes (oxford, 2010).

Career choice is greatly influenced by a number of factors.

Parental background and communication between parents and children, interests and role models have be implicated as determining the choice of career (sawihri Etal., 2o12, price, 2009).
Students (knight Etal., 2011) often began instigating career choices, and discussing their future plans in middle school ,and interest have always been the reasons adduced for opting to pick nursing as a career. It was reported that altruising and interest have been identified as reasons for becoming a nurse (ogunyewo)
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Nursing is the care profession in health care setting right from onset there is in adequate student enrolment into schools of nursing compared to other institutions like polytechnics or college of education , also student prepare to choose other course like medicine , pharmacy law when compared to the rate at which nursing is chosen as seen in 2016 jamb registration statistics of university of Lagos where7,805 candidates choose medicine, 5,525 candidate choose law, and 2,027 candidates choose pharmacy while only 1,608 candidate choose nursing.

These in turn result in inability to maintain sustainability and equilibrium regarding those that enter and have the profession which in turn leads to inadequate nurses in many government hospitals today.
Also adolescent world is characterized by a lot of inconsistencies and contradictions owing to the fact that their decision outcomes are functions of experience, exposure and reasoning which are not as accurate and developed as that of adults, which make career choice for adolescent to be difficult.

All the above stated problems motivate the researcher to study the perception of adolescents towards nursing as a career choice deficiency of nurses.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
* To identify the knowledge of adolescent on nursing profession.
* To identify the perception of adolescent in choosing nursing as career
* To identify the factors that influence the adolescent choice of nursing as career
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
This study is design to explore the perception of adolescent on choice of nursing as a career.
The study is of great significance to the researcher, adolescent, nursing profession and the society at large What as stated below.
• The outcome of the study will enable the researcher to know the level of understanding of adolescent on nursing profession and the value placed on it by them.
• The study will serve as an indirect enlighten campaign to the student t, the society and people who wish to choose nursing as a profession or encourage their relations to choose nursing profession.
• It will help in maintaining the professional nursing profession by maintaining the professional expectation and responsibilities of the old members.