The nursing profession in Saudi Arabia: an overview
ALMALKI M., FITZGERALD G. & CLARK M. (2011) The nursing profession in Saudi Arabia: an overview. International Nursing Review 58(3), 304–311
Aim: The study aims to provide an overview of the nursing profession
in Saudi Arabia, including its history, educational development, workforce and
professional practice.
Background: Saudi Arabia is faced with a chronic shortage of Saudi
nurses, accompanied by high rates of turnover. Expatriate nurses form a large
proportion of the nursing workforce in Saudi healthcare facilities, with Saudis
comprising only 29.1% of the total nursing workforce. Despite the fact that the
proportion of Saudi nurses is very low in general, this rate is lower in the
private health sector where local nurses comprise only 4.1% of the
total.
Methods: Data relating to the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia were
extracted from published literature identified through search of a range of
publically available databases such as Medline, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Saudi
health databases, Saudi health journals, government reports and relevant texts.
Obtained information was evaluated for relevance and grouped on a thematic
basis.
Conclusion: The status of nursing in Saudi Arabia should be enhanced
in order to make it a worthwhile career. The media should engage in helping to
promote a positive image of the nursing profession. The education sector should
reconsider the length of nursing training (5 years compared with 3 years in many
developed countries) while maintaining competent and safe practice. Reducing the
financial burden on the nursing student through provision of additional
financial support would encourage more students. In particular, nurses should be
paid a full salary during the intern year as currently occurs with medical
students
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