Nursing Demand in Rural Honduras: Connections to Culture

As the majority of Hondurans live in poverty, healthcare providers have to care for an increased number of diseases. In addition, Honduras has a low nurse-population ratio, leading to the workforce being spread thin along with inadequate medical funding and low salaries. This prompts a significant portion to emigrate, continuing the cycle of healthcare shortages across Honduras. The lack of accessible nursing schools also discourages those who want to pursue the nursing profession. Interviews with nursing students living in rural Honduras affirm previous studies done, but also display Hondurans living in rural areas prefer traditional medicine rather than alleopathic medicine due to inadequate healthcare treatments in those areas.