Contemporary public image of the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia

Abstract Background: In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the nursing profession faces significant challenges including failure to recruit high school students into nursing education; poor nursing identity, and lack of awareness about the nursing profession. Exploring the level of awareness about the nursing profession and Understanding factors that influence the nursing image is crucial for planning effective intervention programs to recruit and retain students into nursing education, and to improve nurses' sense of identity. Methods: The purpose of the present study was to explore the public image of the nursing profession. A descriptive cross-sectional study included 502 adults; 106 males and 396 females, their mean age was 22.93 ± 6.76 years. Data collected included; socio-demographic data, gender preference in getting nursing care, knowledge, and perceived barriers to pursue a nursing career. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Results: Only 32.5 % preferred to get nursing care by Saudis. The nursing profession was not viewed as a respected job as 71.5% of participants would be ashamed of having a nurse in their families. The study revealed a low median knowledge score (50.0, IQR: 50.0-66.7)). The study highlighted a number of sociocultural barriers to pursue a nursing career including; the mixed working environment (35.9%), delayed marriage of female nurses (20.3%), and the negative effect of nursing profession on social life (64.5%).Conclusions: Poor knowledge and sociocultural perceived barriers are the main factors contributing to the negative public image of the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia. Understanding the underlying factors of negative public image about the nursing profession could contribute to implementing focused intervention to improve the negative stereotype of the nursing profession among Saudis.