Secondary Medical School Students’ Perceptions on Nursing in Kosovo

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess the opinion of secondary medical school students in Kosovo about nursing. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted with 1282 secondary medical school students from four regions of Kosovo through random sampling. Data were collected from March to May 2018 by a questionnaire designed for this study from the researchers. It consisted of two sections, the sociodemographic part and the second part about opinion and perceptions about the nursing profession. Continuous variables are summarized as mean and standard deviation (SD), categorical variables are summarized as frequency (n) and percentages (%). Chi square (x2) test is used to analyze the difference between categorical variables Results: The family had a proactive impact on the choice of the study program for their child. More than half of the students had a favourable opinion of nursing prior to enrolling in secondary medical school. After enrolling in the study program, more than two-thirds of students (72.2%) have a favourable opinion of nursing. More than half of the students (52.6%) believe that the community perceives nursing positively. Conclusion: Most of the secondary school students have a positive opinion about nursing and think that community have a positive opinion as well. The secondary medical school plays an important role in the improvement of student’s opinion about nursing. Keywords: opinions, nurses, students, secondary schools, Kosovo