PhD defence J.H.A.M. (Jos) Kox

Dissertation in short:

The shortage of nurses is high and increasing. To meet the high demand for nurses in the healthcare sector, it is important to train more nurses and also retain them for healthcare.  
Although the number of nursing students increased during the corona period, at the same time it became apparent that due to staff shortages, absenteeism and high workloads, there was insufficient capacity to properly supervise these new recruits. The number of musculoskeletal complaints among health care workers is high. These complaints will only continue to increase over the years. Research shows that nursing students already experience many musculoskeletal complaints. This thesis provides insight into the reasons that contribute to late dropout of nursing students from the study programme and novice nurses from the profession, and the role of musculoskeletal symptoms and physical work factors in this. In addition, it provides an overview of available interventions for improving the physical health of students and novice nurses to prevent dropout.