Perception towards Nursing Profession among Nurses Working in Public Hospitals in Central Ethiopia: A Mixed-Method Study

Abstract Background: Nurses' perceptions guide them in maintaining their nursing profession and are dependent on different factors. Although a good perception can help lead a successful profession, many nurses leave the profession in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess the nurses’ perception towards their profession and factors associated with it among nurses working in public hospitals in the west Shewa zone, Oromia, Central Ethiopia.Methods: An institutional based cross-sectional study, a concurrent mixed-methods approach was conducted among randomly selected nurses working in public hospitals in the west Shewa zone from May 25-June 20, 2020. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained using interview techniques. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 and the qualitative was analyzed through thematic analysis. The strength and direction of the statistical association were measured according to the odds ratio and the 95% confidence interval. The statistically significant level was reported at p < 0.05. Results: In this study, 54.6% [95%CI (48.0%, 61.0%)] had a good perception towards nursing profession. Nurses who had Bachelor degree (BSc) [AOR: 3.00 (95% CI: (1.55-5.80)], those who earn a monthly salary of ≥ 6194 ETB [AOR: 2.28 (95% CI: 1.01-5.16)], those working in primary hospitals [(AOR: 4.39 (95%CI: (1.39-9.95)] and general hospitals [(AOR:6.09(2.84,13.01) were more likely to have good perception towards nursing profession than their counter parts.Conclusions: Nearly six in ten nurses in the study area had a good perception towards nursing profession. Nurses’ level of education, monthly salary scale and type of hospital the nurses were working in should be considered for improving nurses’ perception towards their profession and thereby to keep the experienced nurses in their profession.