| It is forecasted that in the near future, the United States will not have enough long-term care (LTC) nurses qualified or interested in the LTC arena to sustain the healthcare delivery system. Using pre- and post-intervention surveys, this study investigated senior nursing students' image and perception of long-term care nursing compared to their image and perception of other areas in nursing. The effects of prior experience with or exposure to LTC on students' intention to apply for a position in LTC were examined in 221 senior year students earning the Bachelor of Science in nursing degree from three California universities. Brochure presentation interventions were used to investigate two methods of job recruitment techniques: The Realistic Job Preview (RJP) and the Best Foot Forward (BFF) methods. The RJP discusses both the positive and negative aspects, whereas, the BFF technique presents only the best aspect of a position. A third brochure was used as a control and contained job-interviewing tips. The nursing students were randomly assigned to the control group and to one of the two interventions. The first hypothesis stated that pre-intervention students' intent to apply for a position in LTC upon graduation would be significantly and positively associated with their pre-intervention image of LTC. A Pearson correlation coefficient between pre-intervention intent to apply and pre-intervention image was statistically significant, r = -.368, n = 221, p < .001, supporting the first hypothesis. Hypothesis two stated that post-intervention RJP students would have a significantly more positive perception of LTC nursing than the RJP, BFF or control-group students. After the intervention, the BFF group students had the most positive perception of LTC nursing (M = 2.88, SD = .68) lower means indicate more positive perception, followed by the RJP group (M = 2.96, SD = .70) and finally the control group (M = 3.02, SD = .66). Hypothesis two was not supported. Hypothesis three stated that post-intervention RJP students would have a significantly stronger intent to apply for jobs in LTC nursing than BFF or control-group students. The control group had the lowest mean (the lower the mean the stronger intent to apply) for jobs in LTC (M = 5.11, SD = 1.64), followed by the BFF group (M = 5.32, SD = 1.64), and finally, the RJP group, which had the lowest intent to apply (M = 5.86, SD = 1.23). Hypothesis three was not supported. Hypothesis four stated that senior nursing students' pre-intervention intent to apply for a position in LTC upon graduation would be significantly and positively associated with prior experience in or exposure to LTC. A Pearson correlation for pre-intervention intent to apply for a position in LTC nursing and prior experience was negative and not statistically significant, r = -.067, n = 221, p = .318, suggesting that prior experience does not influence intent to apply for LTC nursing. The findings of this study cannot be generalized beyond bachelor's level nursing students. The study should be expanded to a larger group of students that includes associate level and licensed practical nursing students. Furthermore, prior experience could be explored with a qualitative portion on the survey to ascertain experiences in LTC nursing. In conclusion, to enhance LTC nursing image and to improve students' perceptions of this line of nursing may be accomplished, in part, through program curriculum, including internships in LTC, offering multiple dedicated courses in LTC, and increasing the emphasis on LTC during nursing programs.;Key Words: recruitment methods, realistic job preview, long-term care, nursing, LTC experience. |
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