Why do nursing students not want to work in geriatric care? A national questionnaire survey.

Background: Given the severe shortage of nurses in geriatric care in Israel and the planned expansion of their role in the care of older people, the Israel Ministry of Health's Nursing Division decided to investigate the readiness of current students to work in geriatrics.

Objectives: To gather last-year student nurses' views on geriatric nursing as a career choice and identify the factors behind those views.

Design: A cross-sectional questionnaire study was designed.