Family, Culture, and Career Choice: Filipino American Aspiring Nurses, a New Generation of Racialized Labor

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Transnational Asian American Student and Teacher Experiences

Abstract

The Philippines’ colonial history resulted in mass immigration to the U.S., with periodic shortages prompting strategic recruitment of nurses from 1950-1990, leading to Filipinos to be overrepresented in nursing compared to the general population. This qualitative study aims to better understand the career development processes of the children of these immigrants (second-generation Filipino Americans) who are currently in college pursuing nursing. Informed by social-cognitive career theory and acculturation theory, this study aims to better understand the factors that impact career decision-making and career decision self-efficacy, contending that social context cannot be untangled from investigating current Filipino American college student career choices.

Author

• Elaine Jessica C. Tamargo, University of California - Los Angeles