Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: Happy people are successful in many areas of life like marriage, friendship, income, job performance and health. This study was done to determine the reasons for happiness or unhappiness of freshman students who have chosen to study nursing in a private university in Istanbul. METHODS: This descriptive research was conducted between 7th and 12th of January, 2010 in Istanbul. The population and sample of the study was composed of 100 students who chose to study in the university’s nursing department in the 2009-2010 academic year after the Student Selection Examination (SSE) in 2009. The data were collected through a student identification form and a survey which was developed for determining the status of happiness. Evaluations were given as percentages. RESULTS: 89% of students (n=89) reported that they were "happy" because they would become a nurse in the future. 46.4% of students (n=41) reported that they were happy because they would be working in a job where they will be helping people. 20.2% of students reported that they were happy because nursing is their "dream job". CONCLUSION: It was determined that nursing students beginning their education in the nursing program were happy because they will be working in their dream jobs in the future and because they will be working in a job which will make them happy. Based on these results, it is expected that the nursing students who participated in the research will become successful nurses in the future.

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