پروفیل نیروی کار پرستاری عربستان سعودی The Profile of Saudi Nursing Workforce: A Cross-Sectional Study

1. Introduction In 1992 the Royal Monarchy in Saudi Arabia decreed that all sectors of the workforce would be subject to a policy of “Saudisation.” This policy aimed to reduce the reliance on the expatriate workforce and to reduce the unemployment rate of Saudi nationals by restricting employment of foreign workers, reserving some jobs for Saudi citizens only and creating new jobs for Saudis [1]. Concurrently there has been an increase in the number of nursing schools and government hospitals being established [2]. The policy has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of Saudis entering the nursing workforce. In just one decade the percentage of Saudis in the nursing workforce increased from 22.3% to 50% [2]. However, unlike other developed countries, men comprise 25% of this workforce and 50% of all Saudi nurses [2].This is a unique and relatively new phenomenon; previously there have been few Saudi males in the nursing workforce. In the study of Angelo Dante et al. (2014), the authors mentioned that creating awareness and providing knowledge about a particular profession, like nursing, for instance, should start as early as when an individual person can already understand and can make decisions about his career in the future. Moreover, an accurate and precise information about a particular profession should be thoroughly provided and instilled to them thus to allow the individual to form judgment and proper decision on his or her career options based on a personal motivation, aspiration, and talents. The literature now indicates that a major issue is the retention of these new nurses. Studies have shown that many nurses express dissatisfaction about their workplace and that decision makers are unable to meet their needs ([3, 4], Almalki 2011). In addition the nursing profession continues to suffer from a poor image in Saudi society [4]; this may also impact on retention of nurses in the workforce.