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Student nurses' perceived challenges of nursing in I ndia
Author(s) -
Garner S.L.,
Raj L.,
Prater L.S.,
Putturaj M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international nursing review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1466-7657
pISSN - 0020-8132
DOI - 10.1111/inr.12117
Subject(s) - nursing , workforce , salary , thematic analysis , qualitative research , medicine , nurse education , nursing shortage , sociology , political science , social science , law
Background A profound nursing shortage exists in I ndia. Increasingly nursing students in I ndia are opting to migrate to practise nursing abroad upon graduation. Perceptions and attitudes about nursing are shaped during student experiences. Purpose The purpose in conducting this research was to illuminate student nurses' perceived challenges of nursing in I ndia. Setting and Sample This study took place at a hospital‐based, private mission non‐profit school of nursing in Bengaluru, I ndia. Purposive sampling of nursing students yielded 14 participants. Methods Photovoice, a qualitative participatory action research methodology, was used. Data were collected between A ugust 2013 and J anuary 2014. A strong international collaboration between researchers resulted in qualitative thematic interpretation of photographs, critical group dialogue transcripts, individual journal entries and detailed field notes. Results Two main themes were identified including the perceived challenges of a hierarchal system and challenges related to limited nursing workforce capacity. Subcategories of a hierarchal system included challenges related to image, safety, salary and balance. Subcategories of limited workforce capacity were migration, work overload, physical demand, incongruence between theory and practice, and knowledge. Discussion Nursing as a profession in I ndia is still in its infancy when measured against standard criteria. Implications for Health Policy Change in health policy is needed to improve salary, safety for nurses, and nurse to patient ratios to address hierarchal and workforce capacity challenges in I ndia.