1.Factors deterring registered nurses from pursuing post graduate nursing degree in a private hospital in Penang, Malaysia
Mei Foong Ng ; Bee Yean Ooi ; Wei Fern Siew
International e-Journal of Science, Medicine and Education 2015;9(3):38-46
Background: In Malaysia the percentage of diploma
registered nurses outnumber the percentage of degree
registered nurses. Internationally, most registered nurses
earn associate degrees or bachelor’s degrees in nursing.
Malaysia is in the pipeline of ensuring that its registered
nurses are professionally qualified with nursing degree by
year 2020. Registered nurses with diploma qualification
are feeling the pressure to upgrade their qualification to
degree. There are concerns as to why these nurses are
not pursuing their post registration nursing degree.
Objective: To determine factors that are deterring the
registered nurses of a private hospital in Penang from
pursuing the post registered nursing degree.
Methods: This descriptive study utilised a convenient
sample of 150 registered nurses from Lam Wah Ee
Hospital in Penang. The instrument of this study was
developed based on literature search and the conceptual
framework of Force Fields Analysis developed by Kurt
Lewin in 1952.
Results: The deterring factors for registered nurses
not pursuing post registration nursing degree from this
hospital were determined through negative mean score,
which was valued at less than 2.5. The top 3 deterring
factors identified were: high educational cost, with a
score of 1.92; financial commitment, with a score of 2.22
and time constraints and high workload, with a score of
2.27.
Conclusions: High educational cost, financial
commitment, time constraint and high workload were
the main factors deterring the registered nurses from
this hospital from pursuing their post registration
nursing degree. Thus it is timely for the organisational
management to consider workable measures to assist
and motivate their nurses to upgrade themselves with
nursing degree in line with Malaysia’s vision to meet the
increasing challenges and complex needs in the care of
clients in health services.
Education, Nursing
2.An Australian Evaluation of the Tick Program Awareness among University Students
International Journal of Public Health Research 2012;2(1):75-79
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death in Australia. The Tick Program by the National Heart Foundation was designed to assist consumers in making healthier food choices. The aim of our study was to evaluate the awareness of university students regarding the Tick Program as a sustainable approach in preventing the onset of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in youth. Following Ethics Committee approval, a cross-sectional study was undertaken in 2006 to measure university students’ level of awareness of the Tick Program using a self-administered survey form. Inclusion criteria were full-time university students who have lived in Australia for a minimum duration of twelve months and do their own shopping. Students of less than 18 years of age were excluded from the study. Of 110 university students surveyed, 97 questionnaires were successfully completed (response rate: 88%). Overall there was a high level of awareness (72.2%) of the Tick program, which was also considered trustworthy by a majority of participants, with a mean rating of 3.87 (on a scale of 1 to 5). Tick-approved products were also considered a healthier choice by participants (mean 4.06 out of 5). Participants were also asked to identify potential barriers limiting the use of the Tick in making purchase decisions. The most important barrier identified to the Tick program was the limited range of Tick-approved products. A significant proportion of respondents also believed there was limited publicity of the program. The Tick Program is considered to be trustworthy and the approved products were regarded as healthy, with the results showing that participants have confidence in the Tick Program. This research also highlighted the potential areas for improvement of the Tick Program.
Cardiovascular Diseases
;
Food Preferences
;
Students
;
Universities
;
Australia