Factors Influencing the Image of Occupational Health Nurses among Nursing Students

Purpose: This study aimed to examine nursing students’ perceptions of occupational health nurses and to identify the factors that influence these perceptions. The findings are intended to provide foundational data for developing educational content and career exploration programs for nursing students. Method: The subjects of the study were 4th year nursing students at a university in Y city. The final number of subjects was 143 using the G*Power 3.1.2 program. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 22.0. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used, and regression analysis was conducted to identify factors influencing the image of occupational health nurses. Results: The image of occupational health nurses according to the satisfaction of nursing major of nursing college students was statistically significant (t=4.52, p<.001), and the image of occupational health nurses was positively correlated with the recognition of nursing profession (r=.56, p<.001). The factors influencing the image of occupational health nurses were the recognition of nursing profession (β=.328, p<.001), professional image (β=.192, p=.021), and satisfaction of nursing major (β=.245, p=.015), and the explanatory power was 23.6%, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Based on this, it is necessary to develop a career exploration behavior program linked to education that can help nursing students improve the image of occupational health nurses and their perception of the nursing profession, and to enable them to choose a career path that suits them.