Aim: The aim of this study was to increase understanding of female high school students' intentions to pursue a nursing career. The objective is to explore theories on attitudinal research and propose a research model that examines the relationship between attitude, knowledge, and impact on intention to pursue a nursing career.
Background: There is a paucity of research on understanding the reasons for the shortage of local nurses in the United Arab Emirates.
Method: Data were collected from 157 female high school students. The research model was empirically tested using standard procedures.
Results: Findings support some of the proposed direct and interactional effects. Attitude is a predictor of intention of high school students to pursue a nursing profession. The interaction effect of attitude and knowledge significantly predicts intention.
Conclusion: The study calls for further investigation on the effects of attitude and knowledge on students' intention to pursue a nursing career and bring about changes in thinking.