Factors Affecting student's choice of nursing as a career in Egypt and Syria

Factors that affect student's choice of nursing as a career in 2 different countries, Egypt and Syria, were the focus of the study. There was a 3-fold purpose, definition of nursing, reason for choosing nursing, and who/what influenced the image of nursing and the choice of that career. A questionnaire was developed to collect data from a random sample of the students of the Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Egypt [n = 223] and the Faculty of Nursing, Techrine University, Syria [n = 58]. In the light of findings of this study, it is evident that most students from both countries define nursing as caring. However, employment opportunities and financial reward were the main reasons in Egypt for choosing the nursing career, as compared with employment opportunities and nurturing in Syria