Noelene Hickey

Aim: To report a study that investigated the career development, aspirations, and choices of undergraduate students and graduates of nursing double degree programmes.Background: Over one‐third of Australian undergraduate nursing students study by double degree mode. Their career destinations will have an impact on the availability of graduates in a time of nursing shortages, but little is known about why nursing students choose double degrees or take up a career in nursing vs. the other specialization.Design: A qualitative study using two longitudinal methods.Methods: The study was conducted in 2008–2009 with 68 participants from an Australian regional university offering double degrees in nursing. A time series method involved interviews with 12 first year students followed by focus group interviews with 22 final year students. A longitudinal method involved repeated interviews with 34 graduates. Interview transcripts were analysed thematically.Results: Enrolment in a double degree was influenced by advice from significant others; previous experiences of health care; and the anticipated rewards associated with a choice of two careers. Career development and decisions of undergraduates were influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic rewards distinctive to each area of specialization and marketing and job availability. For graduates, the impact of workplace experiences such as prior practicums and past and present workplace support were foremost.Conclusion: This study provides previously unknown information about double degree nursing students' and graduates' career development and career choices over time. A socio‐ecological framework adapted to nursing enabled a broad understanding of the many environments and contexts that confirm or discourage a nursing career.

Untested changes in nursing education in Australia, such as the introduction of double degrees in nursing, necessitate a new research approach to study nursing career pathways. A review of the literature on past and present career choice theories demonstrates these are inadequate to gain an understanding of contemporary nursing students’ career choices. With the present worldwide shortage of nurses, an understanding of career choice becomes a critical component of recruitment and retention strategies. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how an ecological system approach based on Bronfenbrenner’s theory of human development can be used to understand and examine the influences affecting nursing students’ and graduates’ career development and career choices. Bronfenbrenner’s socioecological model was adapted to propose a new Nursing Career Development Framework as a way of conceptualizing the career development of nursing students undertaking traditional bachelor of nursing and nontraditional double-degree nursing programs. This Framework is then applied to a study of undergraduate nurses’ career decision making, using a sequential explanatory mixed method study. The paper demonstrates the relevance of this approach for addressing challenges associated with nursing recruitment, education, and career choice.