Career aspiration and influencing factors study of intern nursing students: A latent profile analysis

Background: The intensifying global aging population exacerbates the serious shortage of nurses, placing immense pressure on the healthcare system worldwide. Overwhelming workloads, limited career development opportunities, and high turnover rates among nurses compound these challenges. Career aspiration is closely related to individual active work behavior and career orientation, and is significant for stabilizing the nursing team. Identifying different subgroups of career aspiration among intern nursing students and analyzing the influencing factors can provide tailored support and interventions for their career development, contributing to addressing the global nursing shortage and shaping the future of the nursing profession. Aims: To identify different subgroups of career aspiration among intern nursing students and to analyze the related factors of the different subgroups. Methods: This secondary analysis relied upon a cross-sectional study conducted in China among 521 nursing students during clinical practice. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of career aspiration among intern nursing students, and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze factors influencing their career aspiration. The Career Aspiration Scale, General Demographic Information Questionnaire, and the Nursing Students Clinical Practice Poor Adaptation Scale were utilized as measures. Results: There were four different subgroups of career aspiration, namely the "Moderate career aspiration type (33.7%)", "High leadership expectations-low effort type (11.6%)", "High professional development-low educational aspiration type (28.9%)", "High aspiration multidimensional leader-scholar type (25.8%)". School classification and clinical practice poor adaptation were significantly related factors for the four subgroups (all p < 0.05). Female significantly influenced the "high professional development-low educational aspiration type" (p < 0.001). Students' origin, grade point average, and student leadership experience significantly influenced the "high aspiration multidimensional leader-scholar type" (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study has identified four distinct subgroups of career aspiration among Chinese intern nursing students and their influencing factors. These findings demonstrate the heterogeneity within the intern nursing student population, provide an effective supplement with a more in-depth analysis to the previous research and underscore the need for tailored educational approaches in clinical practice. By nurturing nursing students' career aspiration, a stable and competent nursing workforce will be cultivated to meet future healthcare demands and propel the advancement of the nursing profession.