Social And Cultural Influences

Social And Cultural Influences

Career choice is the process by which people pick one profession over another in the face of other possibilities and personal preferences (Marznaki et al., 2021). Nursing is the autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups, and communities, whether sick or healthy and in all settings. It encompasses the promotion of health, the avoidance of illness, and the care of the sick, disabled, and dying (Lefevre et al., 2010). They make up the frontline workers of healthcare systems who are essential in meeting development goals and delivering safe and effective care. Society views a nursing career favourably as it offers job security, mobility, and employment. However, the choice to take this profession is influenced by several factors, including social, cultural, economic, individual and environmental factors (Marznaki et al., 2021). These factors contribute either negatively or positively to individuals choosing a nursing profession.

Sociocultural factors that affect career choice

Nursing offers an individual a chance to travel. This is because nursing is a global career enabling individuals to work anywhere they wish despite where they went to nursing school (Dadgaran, 2013). Other countries and continents offer better opportunities and suitable environments for professional growth. The individual can also learn to appreciate the different cultures and appreciate the variations in the way of life in whichever place they choose to be employed as a nurse (Akosah-Twumasi et al., 2018). I get to see variations in the conditions and how they are managed. It builds on my experience of being a great nurse. There are a lot of professional development opportunities that nursing offers. It has a wide variety of areas in that I can advance and take my position in society.

A nursing career offers greater job satisfaction. The art of caring for someone else when they are unable to do activities of daily living themselves due to sickness gives an individual purpose (Barcelos, 2019). Life is more fulfilling when you get to help others. The ability to help others be better or find meaning in life when they have already lost it enables me to make the world better. I desired to have the human contact that comes with interacting with patients, of knowing how they felt. The fears they held when they were at their weakest moment and instilling hope in them are quite satisfying. Also, the ability to improve their quality of life and health outcomes promoted my career choice in nursing.

Social factors include groups of people that influence an individual’s choice to enter a given field of study (Wang, 2020). When growing up, we are moulded by our parents to be certain people in society. They forge a path for us to take by encouraging and being there for us every step of the way. Families, relatives, friends, and most especially parents significantly impact our careers (Rodrigues et al., 2011). For example, my parents were there for me when I chose to nurse, they encouraged me, and when the days were long and tiring, I would turn to them. They ensured that I never gave up, even on the days I thought I had reached my end. They were there to remind me that I am strong enough to see my dreams through.

My parents taught me to be work-oriented, hardworking and responsible. They never encouraged being sluggish or lazy. Their affection and social skills contributed significantly to my affectionate skills, which have helped me be a better nurse (Rodrigues et al., 2011). I can show affection to my patients despite the circumstances or conditions they have. Even with the workload that comes with being a nurse, I never avoid them because I have always learned to be a hard worker from a tender age. Being compassionate enables me to provide human care to all.   According to (Shahhosseini et al., 2013), humane treatment among nurses enhances the respect and dignity of the patient, which are essential aspects of facilitating the healing process.

Nursing is a career that offers job security. There are global shortages among the healthcare force, especially the nurses, who represent 50% of the current shortages (Wu et al., 2015). The demand for healthcare is dynamic and increasing, but the numbers of available nurses to meet the needs are few (Wang, 2020). Choosing a nursing career ensures that you will be able to get employed after graduation because of the shortages. This makes up a greater percentage of why students choose to pursue nursing. All countries are trying to achieve SDG 3 (good health and well-being), which is achieved by ensuring access to quality, safe and effective healthcare services for all.

Culture has significantly contributed to my choice to pursue a career in nursing. The notion of culture refers to people’s beliefs about reality, the norms that influence their behaviour, the values that orient their moral obligations, or the symbols through which these ideas, norms, and values are expressed (Akosah-Twumasi et al., 2018). Growing up in a culture where it’s believed that humans exist to help each other grow and navigate life has been helpful in my career choice. I grew up seeing how neighbours positively relate to each other, where another person’s problem was shared among the community members, and no one felt out. That made me choose nursing so that I can impact the health of my community and other people as well.

For a long time, we have seen disparities in the delivery of health services. These disparities are commonly caused by race, ethnic background and social class (Barcelos, 2019). Individuals that come from the lower social class have poor access to health. In addition, they lack the capital used to acquire health services. This made me choose a career in nursing because change starts with you. Being in the system helps me advocate for everyone and their rights to access quality, safe, and affordable healthcare services despite their race, religion, or social class.

Implications

Every nurse should strive to be culturally competent to enhance positive therapeutic nurse-patient relationships (Insight Digital Magazine, 2020). Cultural competence is the ability of healthcare workers to demonstrate cultural awareness of the patient’s beliefs, race and values and customs while offering healthcare services (Murphy, 2011). Each patient is unique, and the nurse should consider cultural diversity. The ability to appreciate cultural diversity has enabled me to provide holistic care to patients. It has helped me not to appreciate the diverse cultural practices but to celebrate them by personalizing the care. Cultural competence ensures that we respect the diverse culture, which goes a long way in enhancing the quality of services provided.

Adequate social support from relatives, family, peers, and the manager aids in enhancing job satisfaction and promoting performance. In addition, social support provides space for alleviating stressful situations and improving the well-being of patients (Marznaki et al., 2021). The ability to take care of patients and provide safe, effective and quality healthcare depends on their well-being (Insight Digital Magazine, 2020). Therefore, managers should strive to provide supportive, desirable and positive working environments. This promotes staff motivation, job satisfaction and well fare of the nurses. It also fosters unity among the nurses hence improving health outcomes.

The increasing healthcare demands have necessitated the need to advance in education and pursue advanced nursing. There is a need for an effective workforce to ensure high quality yet cost-effective health care services (Marznaki et al., 2021). Advancing in my academic levels allows me to attain the knowledge, skills and expertise in complex decision making. It also facilitates offering a comprehensive scope of care to the patients. The advanced practice promotes professional growth and opens up more opportunities. In addition, patient outcomes will be improved because of the clinical, leadership, educational and research skills.

As nurses, we have an obligation and responsibility to ensure the optimal health status of society. We must uphold professional standards and practice to ensure clinical proficiency and safety. It helps us to develop a positive attitude while providing care. Understanding how culture influences individual behaviour and thought enables you to plan the best care for your patients (Barcelos, 2019). Understanding the rules of interactions within a specific cultural group, such as communication patterns and customs, family unit division of roles, and spirituality, will help you better understand your patients’ attitudes. Furthermore, becoming conscious of your attitudes and stereotypical inclinations toward various cultural groups enables you to express genuine care and concern.

The choice of a career is one of the important decisions one has to make. A lot of care and considerations should be made to ensure that the right choice is made. Influence from the sociocultural factors such as race, religion, family, culture, job opportunities and future income potential factors are majorly considered. These factors influence how we communicate, interact and attitude in whichever profession we choose. However, it is important that an individual choose a career that they have a personal interest in and personally was the perfect fit for me.

References 

Akosah-Twumasi, P., Emeto, T. I., Lindsay, D., Tsey, K., & Malau-Aduli, B. S. (2018, July). A systematic review of factors that influence youths career choices—the role of culture. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 3, p. 58). Frontiers.

Barcelos Winchester, S. (2019). Social Determinants of Health Assessment Tool: Implications for Healthcare Practice. Social Work in Public Health, 34(5), 395-408.

Dadgaran, I., Parvizy, S., & Peyrovi, H. (2013). Nursing students’ views of sociocultural factors in clinical learning: a qualitative content analysis. Japan Journal of Nursing Science, 10(1), 1-9.

Insight Digital Magazine. (2020). The Importance of Cultural Competence in Nursing - Insight Digital Magazine. [online] Available at:

Lefevre, J. H., Roupret, M., Kerneis, S., & Karila, L. (2010). Career choices of medical students: a national survey of 1780 students. Medical education, 44(6), 603-612.

Marznaki, Z. H., Khanjankhani, K., Salisu, W. J., Hajihosseini, F., & Barzegari, S. (2021). Identifying and Ranking the Factors Affecting the Choice of Nursing Discipline Among Nursing Students in Iran: A Fuzzy Hierarchical Analysis. Journal of Nursing Research, 29(5), e171.

Murphy, K. (2011). The importance of cultural competence. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy, 9(2), 5.

Rodrigues, S., Jindal-Snape, D., & Snape, J. B. (2011). Factors That Influence Student Pursuit of Science Careers; the Role of Gender, Ethnicity, Family and Friends. Science Education International, 22(4), 266-273.

Shahhosseini, Z., Abedian, K., Jannati, Y., & Khaki, N. (2013). Developing an instrument to measure the influential factors on career choice among Iranian nursing students. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 18(5), 396.

Wu, L. T., Low, M. M. J., Tan, K. K., López, V., & Liaw, S. Y. (2015). Why not nursing? A systematic review of factors influencing career choice among healthcare students. International nursing review, 62(4), 547-562.

Wang, M. T., Guo, J., & Degol, J. L. (2020). The role of sociocultural factors in student achievement motivation: A cross-cultural review. Adolescent Research Review, 5(4), 435-450.