Vildan Çakar
Hacettepe Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi - 2025;12(3):944-960
Objectives: This descriptive and cross-sectional study aimed to investigate career planning and career future approaches of national and international students receiving nursing education in English. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with nursing undergraduates (n = 148) at a foundation university in Türkiye during the 2023 -2024 academic year. Data were collected online through the Participants' Descriptive Characteristics Form and the 28 -item Career Future Inv entory -Revised (CFI -R). CFI -R consists of five factors, including Career Agency (CA), Negative Career Outlook (NCO), Occupational Awareness (OA), Support (SPT), and Work -Life Balance (WLB). Results: 41.89% of participants were first -year students, and 61.49% were national students. The mean CFI -R score was 3.70 +/- 0.47, with factor values of CA = 4.07 +/- 0.52, NCO = 2.81 +/- 1.08, OA = 3.63 +/- 0.59, SPT = 3.99 +/- 0.72, and WLB = 3.99 +/- 0.64. Desire to work in healthcare (n = 75), advice from family members (n = 32), and broad career opportunities globally (n = 15) were the primary reasons for choosing the English nursing program. The most common career plans were working abroad (n = 33), becoming an academic (n = 29), and achieving excellence in their field (n = 23). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that national and international nursing students have a positive attitude towards their career future and begin to set career goals during their undergraduate years. Career planning aligned with global trends and systems that track pre- and post -graduation career interests may support students. Awareness and skills of nursing students regarding international career orientations can be increased with an intercultural student -centered approach and interdisciplinary models. Multi -centered national and international studies are recommended for further research.
