Hyderabad: Nursing is losing its appeal among youth as a career option in half of the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), indicating a major challenge for the healthcare systems of this group.
According to data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the percentage of 15-year-olds in OECD countries aspiring to become nurses dropped from 2.3 per cent in 2018 to 2.1 per cent in 2022. The decline was most pronounced in the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
OECD’s member countries mostly come from the Western world from Europe and the Americas and their allies in Asia. India is not a member of the OECD.
The public perception of nurses, heavily influenced by the Covid pandemic, presented a paradox: while healthcare workers were lauded as heroes, their arduous working conditions, low pay, and high job dissatisfaction deterred many from pursuing the profession.
The declining interest in nursing has implications beyond the OECD countries themselves.
Historically, nations such as India have been pivotal in supplying nurses to these countries. However, as India continues to grow economically and boost its health spending, its domestic demand for nurses and other health workers will rise. This could potentially limit India's capacity to supply nurses internationally, exacerbating global nursing shortages.
The reliance on international recruitment has been a critical strategy for many OECD countries, and any reduction in this supply could pose severe challenges.
One of the persistent issues contributing to the low interest in nursing is its strong association with female gender roles. In most OECD countries, over 90 per cent of those who showed interest in nursing were girls. The challenge of dismantling stereotypes that view nursing as a female-oriented profession is critical. Addressing these biases involves reshaping societal perceptions and enhancing career guidance to attract more male students to the field.
Contrastingly, countries like Japan have seen an increase in interest among young people. Concerted efforts by nursing faculties to engage students through open campus activities and the profession’s respectable status have bolstered interest. However, this enthusiasm wanes at the undergraduate level, as evidenced by a drop in nursing school applications since 2018. For countries like India, which have historically supplied a significant number of nurses to OECD countries, this trend could pose additional challenges.
Different OECD countries are adopting various strategies to attract young people to nursing. The United Kingdom’s NHS Long Term Workforce Plan aims to increase training capacity and provide financial support to students. Australia has reduced course costs for nursing students, while Canada’s Ontario province offers grants to cover educational expenses in exchange for service agreements.
