Undergraduate nursing student's perception toward the nursing profession in Iraqi-Kurdistan. An exploratory study

Nursing students' perception towards the nursing profession is vital and has a positive impact on the successful recruitment, retention, and attrition of staff from the health care agencies. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of undergraduate nursing students toward the nursing profession in Iraq, particularly in the Kurdistan region. The study was conducted at the University of Duhok, a college of nursing in the Kurdistan Region. The researcher of the current study used Nursing Image as a Profession Questionnaire (NIPQ) for the purpose of data collection. Based on the analysis of the participant's responses, the results revealed that in general students have positive perceptions towards the nursing profession. The early twentieth age group students were more satisfied in nursing than the late twentieth age group. High school grades were regarded as the main reason for joining the faculty of nursing. Having a nurse friend or relative and a positive family reaction was perceived as positive influential factors for student enrollment in the nursing program. Few students had a very negative attitude and they attacked the nursing profession when talking with others. The current study concluded that students have positive perceptions towards the nursing profession in the four aspects of the description of the profession, social view perspectives, benefits of the nursing profession, and students' satisfaction in nursing.