The Status of Professional and Educational Research activities of Graduated Students from Khorramabad Nursing &Midwifery Faculty

Awareness of the graduates professional situation in order to orientate future plans seem to be necessary. The aim of this study was to determine the professional status and educational and research activities of the nurses and midwives who had been graduated from Nursing & Midwifery Faculty of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences between 1991-2005 Through a cross-sectional descriptive study, 256 returned questionnaires that had been sent to graduated students of Nursing &Midwifery Faculty (1991-2005) by mail were analyzed. The data collection tool was a questionnaire including questions about demographic data, professional situation, job satisfaction and educational research activities. The data were analyzed by SPSS ver.11 software and some descriptive data were obtained. 75.4% of subjects were female. 54.3% were between 20-30 years of age. 85.15% had a work-record of fewer than ten years and 96.5% of them were employed in governmental or private sections. 47.3% had income satisfaction and 65.6% of them saw a relation between their job and major of study. 57.4% had been employed within less than 1 year. 52% had an average job. 80.5% of them volunteered membership in the Graduates Club. The most educational and research activities related to their major which they reported were reading professional books and journals, attending national conference (46.9%), participating in educational workshops, seminars and congresses (42.2%). In this study, it was found that most of subjects had been employed full-time within less than 1 year after their graduation and their jobs were quite connected with their majors of study. Job satisfaction was mediocre among them and they had educational and research activities. Therefore, an awareness of the graduates professional situation in order to orientate, prospective educational schedules compatible to professional and social needs, seems to be necessary.