Abstract
This study clarifies the intentions and related factor about having a second career in nursing (defined as coming to work again in the nursing profession after retirement due to age, hereafter SC), targeting nurses who were at a later stage in their career, 40 to 60 years old, working in Chiba Prefecture. A questionnaire was used to examine the Intentions toward and the target characteristics of second career nurses, including their experience in nursing practice.
Among 1,562 valid responses, the SC-desiring group contributed 1,194 (76.4%) responses. The main reasons for SC-desiring were "need for additional financial resources", "desire to put my experience to use", "wish for maintain healthy life" and "the attractiveness and satisfaction from nursing". The SC-desiring group mostly comprised 55-year-olds or elder, who were working in medical clinics and were employed on a part-time basis. They maintained good health and were satisfied with their current nursing work, making use of their experience in working as nurses at elder-care facilities.
To promote the engagement for an SC in nursing in the later stages of a nurse's career, it is essential to guarantee a working environment where individuals can accumulate satisfactory experience in nursing practice while maintaining their mental and physical health, as well as a career development path that includes transition to a second career.
