Warum einen Pflegeberuf wählen? Motivationen zur Berufswahl von Pflegeassistenz- und Sozialbetreuungsschüler:innen in Österreich

A shortage of nursing professionals worldwide has been reported and the Austrian healthcare system turns out to be no exception in this respect. A significant proportion of nursing care in Austria is provided by nursing assistant and social care professionals with nursing skills. So far, however, there have been no studies on what motivates trainees to choose this particular profession. The present study closes this research gap by scrutinizing the motivations of these students to choose such a career.

The aim of the study was to explore the motivations for the career choice of students in nursing assistant and social care courses at two vocational education and training institutions in Austria.

The study was conducted using an online survey with open and closed questions. Students enrolled at two Austrian vocational education and training institutions participated in the study. Participants were 235 students (53%) in nursing assistant level 2 (Pflegefachassistenz), 174 students (40%) in nursing assistant level 1 (Plfegeassistenz) and 31 students (7%) in social care professions. Pearson’s χ² was used to assess correlations. The following groups were scrutinized for similarities and differences: men and women, age groups, main residence (federal state), country of origin, education.

Out of 539 participants 440 provided information on their motivations for their choice of training. There existed hardly any significant differences in terms of sociodemographic characteristics pertaining to the five most frequently chosen motives. The five most frequently mentioned reasons for choosing an apprenticeship were (1) wanting to do something useful and wanting to help other people, (2) wanting to pursue one’s own interests in medical, nursing and/or social issues, (3) having a secure job, (4) wanting to make a significant contribution to society and (5) already having had positive experiences in the field of nursing and/or social care.

Differences occur in less frequently mentioned motivations for the choice of training. Men stated significantly more often than women that they made their choice of training based on conversations with people already working in the field of nursing and care. In addition, people from a country of origin other than Austria stated more frequently that they had made this choice because of job security and good opportunities in the labor market; however, this difference turned out to be not significant.

The desire to help other people is also supported by the literature. In this respect a high intrinsic motivation of the members of this professional group can be concluded. In addition, the significance of internships and previous nursing experience becomes clear. Therefore, it can be concluded that a high quality of supervision during internships could be important for the successful completion and the start of a career in nursing and social care. Moreover, the continued development of quality standards in training institutions appear to be significant as well.

This study indicates how groups of people who are less likely at this stage to choose a career in nursing and social care could be motivated to change their minds. In Austria as elsewhere, most people working in this field are female. In the survey, men stated more often than women that they had made this career choice through conversations with people already working in the field. This statement could inspire measures to increase the proportion of men in nursing and social care professions.