Abstract

Introduction: Nursing plays a crucial role in the care, recovery, and promotion of patients’ health. Nursing students’ attitudes toward the profession and their career development orientation directly influence the quality of training and long-term professional commitment. Objectives: To determine attitudes toward the nursing profession and career development orientation among nursing students at the University of Health Sciences, and to identify associated factors. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 277 first- and second-year nursing students enrolled in the Faculty of Nursing, University of Health Sciences, using a structured self-administered questionnaire from September to October 2025. Results: The mean attitude score toward the nursing profession was 154.46 ± 20.5, with 82.7% of students demonstrating a positive attitude. However, only 19.9% of students had a clear career development orientation, while 52.3% remained unclear. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that year of study was associated with attitudes toward the nursing profession, and students who chose nursing for reasons other than personal interest had lower career development orientation scores compared with those who chose the profession based on personal interest (p <0.05). Conclusions: Most nursing students exhibited positive attitudes toward the nursing profession; however, their career development orientation remained limited. Strengthening career counseling, vocational guidance, and the integration of career orientation into nursing education programs is recommended.