Career decisions of students upon completion of their VET programme in health care:Follow-up study in the Canton of Berne
The present study was commissioned by the “Berner Bildungszentrum Pflege”. It seeks to identify the factors determining the career choices of holders of the Federal VET Diploma in health care who completed their apprenticeship in the Canton of Bern.
The study also seeks to determine how many holders of the Federal VET Diploma in Health Care decide to pursue tertiary-level training in nursing. The present study is part of a larger project pursued by the Berner Bildungszentrum Pflege to increase the proportion of holders of the Federal VET Diploma in Health Care among the total number of students enrolled in a PET college degree programme in nursing, in keeping with the objectives of the Canton of Bern. As a result, the researchers involved in this study worked closely with VET professionals/the client throughout the entire duration of the study. The present study builds from a previous study commissioned by the Canton of Bern's Department of Health and Social Affairs in which learners in the third year of the VET programme in health care in the Canton of Bern were asked about their training situation and career plans. The current study is a follow-up to the initial one, the aim being to determine the actual career choices made by the same group of learners two years after completing their VET programme in health care.
The entire cohort of learners who completed their VET programme in health care in the Canton of Bern in 2010 were contacted for this longitudinal study. The career choices made by this group two years after graduation were compared with the career plans expressed by the same group of learners while in the third year of their VET programme in health care. At the same time, the aim is to identify the various influencing factors present when each of the two surveys were conducted. A total of 300 learners were contacted for this follow-up study. The previous study to determine the career plans of learners in the third year of their VET programme in health care dates back to 2009. The current follow-up study to determine the actual career choices made by this same group was conducted in August and September 2012 in the form of an online questionnaire. The two datasets were compared using personal identifiers and were subjected to cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. Factors that might potentially influence career choices were selected on the basis of theoretical assumptions as well as on factors reported in literature. The likelihood of each factor influencing the career choice was then estimated using binary and multinomial logistic regression. The specific reasons why respondents decided to pursue tertiary-level training in nursing or not were ascertained through both open and closed questions. Publications Research findings from this study will be prepared for and presented to the client for informational purposes relating to the aforementioned project to encourage enrolment of holders of the Federal VET Diploma in tertiary-level nursing programmes.
The transfer of research findings and the preparation of conclusions and recommendations for practices will involve the participation of all project stakeholders.
The publication of research findings requires the prior approval of the client. A public presentation will be given at the Forum BZ Pflege in Bern on 27 May 2013.
The entire cohort of learners who completed their VET programme in health care in the Canton of Bern in 2010 were contacted for this longitudinal study. The career choices made by this group two years after graduation were compared with the career plans expressed by the same group of learners while in the third year of their VET programme in health care. At the same time, the aim is to identify the various influencing factors present when each of the two surveys were conducted. A total of 300 learners were contacted for this follow-up study. The previous study to determine the career plans of learners in the third year of their VET programme in health care dates back to 2009. The current follow-up study to determine the actual career choices made by this same group was conducted in August and September 2012 in the form of an online questionnaire. The two datasets were compared using personal identifiers and were subjected to cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. Factors that might potentially influence career choices were selected on the basis of theoretical assumptions as well as on factors reported in literature. The likelihood of each factor influencing the career choice was then estimated using binary and multinomial logistic regression. The specific reasons why respondents decided to pursue tertiary-level training in nursing or not were ascertained through both open and closed questions.
Research findings from this study will be prepared for and presented to the client for informational purposes relating to the aforementioned project to encourage enrolment of holders of the Federal VET Diploma in tertiary-level nursing programmes. The transfer of research findings and the preparation of conclusions and recommendations for practices will involve the participation of all project stakeholders.
The publication of research findings requires the prior approval of the client. A public presentation will be given at the Forum BZ Pflege in Bern on 27 May 2013.