Influence of Medical-Themed Shows on Career Choice among Freshmen Nursing Students

International Journal of Current Science Research and Review ISSN: 2581-8341 Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28, Impact Factor: 8.048 IJCSRR @ 2025 www.ijcsrr.org 5155 *Corresponding Author: Nikko T. Ederio Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 Available at: www.ijcsrr.org Page No. 5155-5173 Influence of Medical-Themed Shows on Career Choice among Freshmen Nursing Students Reymark L. Balili1, Jan Bernadeth A. Moleta2, Lency C. Aclo3, Carmel Grace B. Guazon4, Nikko T. Ederio5 1, 2, 3BS Nursing Alumni, College of Health Sciences, St. Paul University Surigao, Surigao City 4Faculty, College of Health Sciences, St. Paul University Surigao, Surigao City 5Vice President for Academic Affairs, St. Paul University Surigao, Surigao City ABSTRACT: In this digital age, there is an emerging belief that another factor influences the way we choose our career — the realm of entertainment and media. This quantitative study examined how medical-themed shows influence freshmen nursing students’ career choice at St. Paul University Surigao. Using the Social Cognitive Career Theory of Lent, Brown, & Hackett (1994), based on Bandura’s Self-Efficacy and Social Cognitive Theories, this research aimed to assess how these shows impact students’ self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and personal goals related to the nursing profession. A researcher-made questionnaire was utilized, assessing 175 freshmen nursing students who had watched a medical-themed show before entering nursing. The findings revealed that medical-themed shows positively impacted students' self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and personal goals, with each factor influencing the others and ultimately shaping their career aspirations in nursing. This study recommends that educational institutions address media literacy programs to help students critically evaluate media portrayals and align their career expectations with reality. This study also urges the film industry to present a more balanced and realistic view of the nursing profession. The implications extend to nursing educators, the nursing profession, and future researchers, emphasizing the need for accurate media representation in guiding students' career choices and aspirations. KEYWORDS: Career Choice, Medical-Themed Shows, Nursing Students, Outcome Expectations, Personal Goals, Quantitative Descriptive, Self-Efficacy, St. Paul University Surigao. INTRODUCTION Selecting a future career is probably one of the hardest choices one must make some time in their lives. For a fortunate few, the choice may come easy for them. As to those who still struggle, this phase in their lives became an early-career agony. Beaton (2016), a writer for Forbes, said that the agony may be due to the ever-expanding selection of professional paths and the presence of multiple passions. With that, people often opted for external sources of career influences. While certain apparent factors like personal inclinations, values, and potential income contribute, there is an emerging belief that another factor impacts our daily lives: the realm of entertainment and media. Television and movies have long been recognized for their ability to shape public perceptions and aspirations. In the context of this study, medical-themed TV shows, often characterized by the portrayal of life-saving heroics and dramatic medical scenarios, occupy a unique space in influencing career choices, especially among young audiences (Aboud, 2012). A medicalthemed television show can be depicted as a drama set within a hospital, among ambulance personnel, or in other medical settings. Beyond just mere entertainment, these imaginative storylines present concrete medical scenarios and are often seen as a valuable source of health-related information for viewers. A lot of available research has touched upon the power of media when utilized for different purposes. For instance, Baños (2019) analyzed House MD, a famous American medical-themed show, educational value in teaching clinical pharmacology. Jerrentrup (2018) similarly suggested the use of House MD to educate about uncommon diseases and diagnostic approaches. Cambra Badii (2020) performed a content analysis of the first season of The Good Doctor, revealing numerous situations that can be utilized to teach bioethics. With all that, it is safe to say that while these depictions in medical-themed shows frequently delve into the personal aspects of the characters, they consistently emphasize the medical domain, especially the work environments, offering audiences a window into the intricacies of the medical field. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review ISSN: 2581-8341 Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28, Impact Factor: 8.048 IJCSRR @ 2025 www.ijcsrr.org 5156 *Corresponding Author: Nikko T. Ederio Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 Available at: www.ijcsrr.org Page No. 5155-5173 However, opposing studies like Ward and Sommers (2008) worry that there may be a misrepresentation of healthcare workers in televised medical-themed shows that may exacerbate existing problems in the field. Trachtman (2008) also argues that television depictions of bioethical issues are poor tools to be used in the teaching of bioethics to medical and nursing students. While these studies demonstrated the effect of medical-themed television shows, there remains a notable gap in the research regarding how medical-themed shows specifically influence the career choices of Filipino nursing students. Hence, this study would add to the above literature and studies by examining the relationship between the influence of medicalthemed shows in a local or more particular setting. Since there has been no study in the Philippines about this yet, this paper is necessary to better understand television’s effects on human behavior, and particularly the role of medical-themed shows in Filipino nursing students’ career choices. Furthermore, existing research primarily focuses on final year nursing students, leaving the impact on newly studying nursing students relatively understudied. Given the distinct differences between freshmen students and their older counterparts, particularly in terms of reasoning skills crucial for developing career aspirations, research is needed to investigate freshmen nursing students specifically. Framework This study aimed to determine the influence of medical-themed shows on the career choice among freshmen nursing students at St. Paul University Surigao. Thus, this study is anchored to the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) of Lent, Brown, and Hackett (1994), a theory derived from Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (1977) and General Social Cognitive Theory (1986). General social cognitive theory assumes that people are the product of a dynamic interaction between external environmental factors, internal subjectivity factors, as well as past and present behavior (Bandura, 1986), as cited by Wang et al. (2022). Taking inspiration on Bandura's threefactor causal model, the SCCT constructs a three-factor interaction model of career, in which Self-efficacy (Can I do this?), outcome expectations (what will happen if I do this?), and personal goals (how much do I want to do this?) are the three core concepts. Self-efficacy refers to “people’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances” (Bandura, 1986). These beliefs, according to Bandura, are subject to influence by environmental conditions. Outcome expectations refer to beliefs about the consequences or outcomes of performing particular behaviors. Bandura argued that people develop outcome expectations regarding different academic and career paths from a variety of direct and various learning experiences, such as perceptions of the outcomes they have personally received in relevant past endeavors and the secondhand information they acquire about different career fields (e.g., by observing family and community members or seeing how different forms of work are portrayed in various media). According to SCCT's interest model, both self-efficacy and outcome expectations work together to mold career interests. For example, if someone tends to have high confidence in their ability to execute something, they will most likely have an interest in it. Conversely, if one has their interest set on it, most likely they feel more confident to attain it. In short, as interests emerge, they, along with self-efficacy and outcome expectations, encourage intentions, or goals, for sustaining or increasing one's involvement in particular activities. Personal goals, as defined by Bandura (1986), refer to one's intention to engage in a specific activity or achieve a desired outcome. This process answers the question, "How much and how well do I want to do this?". Social cognitive career theory maintains that self-efficacy and outcome expectations affect people's personal goals. For example, strong self-efficacy and positive outcome expectations relative to musical performance are likely to nurture musicrelevant goals, such as the intention to devote time to practice, to seek performing opportunities, and perhaps (depending on the nature and strength of one's self-efficacy and outcome expectations in other domains), to pursue a music career. In the context of this study, this research utilized the three social cognitive processes as determinants of the influence of medical-themed shows on career choice and development. This research also examined television exposure—the first key idea in Cultivation Theory—as an independent factor. This type of media exposure plays a significant role in shaping how people see the International Journal of Current Science Research and Review ISSN: 2581-8341 Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28, Impact Factor: 8.048 IJCSRR @ 2025 www.ijcsrr.org 5157 *Corresponding Author: Nikko T. Ederio Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 Available at: www.ijcsrr.org Page No. 5155-5173 world. Johnson's (2014) study found that regular medical television viewers often lean toward more intense, fast-paced medical fields, likely influenced by how these shows portray the excitement and urgency of those specialties. Furthermore, the independent variable of the study is the profile of the respondents, which includes; Age. It refers to the number of years a person has lived since birth. Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development (1950) posits that at the late adolescent stage (18+ years), individuals make critical decisions about their education and career paths. Moreover, exposure to medical-themed shows during this stage increases the ability of a student to "integrate practice and theory," which contributes to increased interest in the medical field (Blanchard, 2006). Sex. It refers to the biological and psychological characteristics that distinguish individuals as male or female. A book called "The Handbook of Socialization" by Grusec and Hastings (2015) explores the complex interplay of factors, including sex, in shaping career choices influenced by external factors. Medical-themed shows watched. This variable measures how much freshmen nursing students have been exposed to medical-themed shows. As part of the research criteria, respondents were asked if they had watched any medical-themed shows to analyze the potential correlation between media representation and career choices in nursing. A checklist provides a quantitative variable representing the frequency with which an individual has watched television shows or series in medical settings. Gerbner's Cultivation Theory (1978) suggests that people who spend more time watching TV are more likely to be influenced by what they see. Over time, they may believe that the stories and messages shown on screen reflect how the real world works. Using the anchored theory as a foundation, the researchers have formulated the dependent variables within the broader Framework of assessing how medical-themed shows influence the career choices of the Paulinian freshmen nursing students. These variables include self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and personal goals. Eventually, a correlation was established between the dependent and independent variables, aiming to gauge the notable variations in the influence of medical-themed shows on freshmen nursing students' career decisions. This was done by categorizing students based on their profile attributes. The findings from the data analysis subsequently offer meaningful insights and implications for nursing students, the nursing field, the grounded theory, the researcher, and future investigations. Research Problems This study determined the influence of medical-themed shows on the career choice among freshmen nursing students at St. Paul University Surigao. Specifically, this answered the following questions: 1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of: 1.1. age; 1.2. sex; 1.3. type of medical-themed shows watched; and 1.4. name of medical-themed shows watched? 2. To what level do medical-themed shows influence the selection of nursing as a future career in terms of: 2.1. self-efficacy; 2.2. outcome expectations; and 2.3. personal goals? 3. Is there a significant degree of difference in the level of influence of medical-themed shows on the career choice among freshmen nursing students when they are grouped according to their profiles? 4. Is there a significant degree of correlation among the three social cognitive processes of beliefs affecting career choice? 5. Based on the findings of the study, what implications may be drawn? International Journal of Current Science Research and Review ISSN: 2581-8341 Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28, Impact Factor: 8.048 IJCSRR @ 2025 www.ijcsrr.org 5158 *Corresponding Author: Nikko T. Ederio Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 Available at: www.ijcsrr.org Page No. 5155-5173 METHOD The researchers employed a quantitative research framework utilizing a descriptive research survey methodology that is aided by survey techniques. The respondents of the study were the college freshmen nursing students at St. Paul University Surigao who were enrolled during the second semester of the academic year 20232024. There were 202 officially enrolled nursing firstyear students at the university; the respondents were selected through the purposive sampling technique. The instrument of the study was a researcher-made survey questionnaire that consisted of questions centered on the influence of medical-themed shows on the career choice of freshmen nursing students as to their self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and personal goals. Before this part, the respondents are asked about their profile (age, sex, type, and name of specific medical-themed shows watched). The second part is composed of questions for each cognitive process of beliefs: self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and personal goals according to the anchored theory. The data collection procedure for this research involved the utilization of questionnaires, which were distributed through online Google Forms. But before this, instrument validation and reliability testing were ensured in order to standardize the researchermade questionnaire. In the conduct of pilot testing in another school in the city, a letter to conduct pilot testing was first given to the Dean of their College of Allied Medical Sciences. Upon approval, the questionnaire was then distributed to a total of 21 freshmen nursing students. Before the commencement of the final data collection, a formal request was sent to the Dean of the College of Health Sciences at St. Paul University Surigao. Once approved, the researchers disseminated the Google Form questionnaire link to all Paulinian freshmen nursing students. Based on the preliminary responses, respondents who watched any medical-themed show will be sorted out from those who have not. Upon completion of data collection, it was then meticulously compiled and tallied using appropriate codes for each variable. Frequency Count & Percentage Distribution were used to quantify the profile distribution of the respondents. An Independent Samples t-test was utilized to compare the means of two independent groups, particularly the sex distribution of the respondents. Means and Standard Deviation were used to quantify the respondents’ responses on the influence of medical dramas on their career choice. A 4-point frequency and extensiveness Likert scale was also used as the basis for interpreting data yielded from the respondents’ responses. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significant degree of difference in the influence of medical-themed shows on the career choice when the respondents are grouped according to profile. Lastly, Pearson’s r Correlation, a statistical method, was employed to assess the significant degree of correlation among the three social cognitive processes of belief affecting career choice. The researchers strictly observed research ethics wherein confidentiality, privacy rights, and safety of the respondents and the researcher's ethical practices were strongly observed. The researchers primarily adhered to specific provisions applicable under the DPA Act of 2012 to protect the study respondents and the researcher. The questionnaires of the study integrated the Data Privacy consent and waivers for the security assurance for both researchers and the respondents. The researchers have also respected the involved persons’ feelings and opinions (Ederio et al., 2023). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION I – Analysis of Pre-screening Responses Table 1 Table 1 presents the analysis of the pre-screening responses of the freshmen Paulinian nursing students as to whether they have watched medical-themed show(s) or not before entering the nursing course. In the second semester of the academic year 2023-2024, among the 202 officially enrolled freshmen nursing students in St. Paul University Surigao, 175 (86.63%) students had watched medical-themed show(s) before pursuing a nursing education, while 27 (13.37%) had not engaged with such content. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review ISSN: 2581-8341 Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28, Impact Factor: 8.048 IJCSRR @ 2025 www.ijcsrr.org 5159 *Corresponding Author: Nikko T. Ederio Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 Available at: www.ijcsrr.org Page No. 5155-5173 II – Demographic Profile Distribution of the Watcher Respondents Table 2.1 The data from table 2.1 presents the age distribution of the respondents. This is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the demographic characteristics of the respondents in this study. Among the 175 watcher respondents, 87 (49.71%) were 19 years old, 45 (25.71%) were 18 years old, 35 (20%) were 20 years old, and only 8 (4.57%) were 21 years old. This age distribution highlights the predominance of younger students in the sample population. Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development (1950), such as those presented in table 2.1, posits that at the late adolescent’ stage (18+ years), individuals are making critical decisions about their education and career paths. In connection to this, Muncan et al. (2016) conceptualized that exposure to medicalthemed shows during this stage increases the ability of a student to “integrate practice and theory,” which contributes to increased interest in the medical field. Table 2.2 Table 2.2 presents the sex distribution of the respondents. Gender disparity in media consumption was explored from the book called “The Handbook of Socialization '' by Grusec, which discusses the complex interplay of factors, including sex, in shaping career choices influenced by external factors. Among the 175 Paulinian freshmen nursing students who had watched medical-themed shows, the distribution by sex shows a higher percentage of females (139 students, 79.49%) compared to males (36 students, 20.51%). Table 2.3 Table 2.3 showcases the distribution of watcher respondents based on the types of medical-themed shows they have watched. This table provides a comprehensive overview of the preferences and viewing habits of the participants. Before proceeding, it is important to note that the percentages in Table 2.3 and Table 2.4 are individually calculated based on the number of responses for each type of medical-themed show from the 175 respondents. Unlike other questions where respondents were limited to selecting International Journal of Current Science Research and Review ISSN: 2581-8341 Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28, Impact Factor: 8.048 IJCSRR @ 2025 www.ijcsrr.org 5160 *Corresponding Author: Nikko T. Ederio Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 Available at: www.ijcsrr.org Page No. 5155-5173 only one answer, this question allowed respondents to choose multiple answers. As a result, the percentages for the table cannot total 100%. Instead, each type of medical-themed show has its percentage calculated independently, reflecting the total number of responses out of the 175 respondents. Among the 175 respondents, 111 (63.43%) indicated that they primarily watch medical-themed K-dramas, making it the most popular genre among the Paulinian freshmen nursing students. This suggests a clear preference for Korean dramas over other forms of medical-themed content. Following closely are medical-themed movies, with 110 students (62.85%) reporting them as their preferred choice. Medical documentaries were watched by 78 students (44.57%), while 71 students (40.57%) preferred US series. Filipino dramas were chosen by 33 students (18.85%), and anime was the least favored genre, with only 4 students (2.29%) listing it as their preferred type of medical-themed content. Table 2.4 Table 2.4 presents the distribution of specific medical-themed shows watched by freshmen Paulinian nursing students, with percentages indicating the frequency of viewership for each show. The Good Doctor (64%) got the highest percentage in terms of viewership. This particular drama follows a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome who continues to make seemingly impossible medical situations into something possible through the use of his extraordinary gifts. According to Cambra-Badii et al. (2020) on the content analysis of The Good Doctor and Bioethical principles, it was found that The Good Doctor medical drama, is rich in bioethical conflicts. This series covers a wide variety of situations in which bioethical themes can arise. Their results confirm the potential interest of this medical drama for teaching bioethics in health sciences, which is the reason why many medical students have been following the series. The Good Doctor is followed by Grey’s Anatomy (47.43%), New Amsterdam (13.71%), Doctor Romantic (49.19%), The Resident (14.85%), Chicago Med (12.57%), ER (7.43%), House MD (8.57%), Hospital Playlist (19.43%), and Cells at Work (14.29%). These findings reveal the varying popularity of different medical dramas among the surveyed students, reflecting the diversity of shows that have influenced their perceptions and potentially their career choices within the healthcare field. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review ISSN: 2581-8341 Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28, Impact Factor: 8.048 IJCSRR @ 2025 www.ijcsrr.org 5161 *Corresponding Author: Nikko T. Ederio Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 Available at: www.ijcsrr.org Page No. 5155-5173 III – Influence of Medical-themed Shows on the Three Social Cognitive Processes of Belief Affecting Career Choice Table 3.1 Table 3.1 presents various indicators related to the self-efficacy of the Paulinian nursing students, reflecting how exposure to fictional portrayals of healthcare settings and professionals in television shows can impact individuals' confidence in their abilities to perform nursing tasks. Self-efficacy refers to “people’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances”. These beliefs are subject to influence by environmental conditions. Moreover, one’s level of selfefficacy is an important predictor of performance in both the present and the future (Bandura, 1986). The result reflects a generally positive impact of medical-themed shows on respondents’ self-efficacy beliefs related to nursing practice (M=3.52; SD=0.40). The low standard deviation across all indicators implies that all the respondents strongly agreed that watching medical-themed shows highly influenced their self-efficacy to pursue the nursing course. This implies that, on average, Paulinian nursing students feel more confident in their abilities to handle various aspects of nursing care after exposure to medicalthemed shows. The collective influence of these shows on self-efficacy suggests that media representations can shape viewers' perceptions of their capabilities in healthcare roles. By showcasing a range of skills and challenges faced by healthcare professionals, medical-themed shows contribute to viewers' self-perceptions and aspirations in the nursing field. This finding aligns with Bandura's (2001) theory of self-efficacy, which emphasizes the role of various experiences in shaping individuals' beliefs in their capabilities to succeed in specific domains. Moreover, Terry and Peck (2019) also identified in their study on Television as a Career Motivator International Journal of Current Science Research and Review ISSN: 2581-8341 Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28, Impact Factor: 8.048 IJCSRR @ 2025 www.ijcsrr.org 5162 *Corresponding Author: Nikko T. Ederio Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 Available at: www.ijcsrr.org Page No. 5155-5173 and Education Tool, that students viewing more medical dramas on television report an increase in learning and sense-making about nursing as a career. Specifically in Table 3.1, most of the respondents strongly agreed that, because of watching medical-themed shows, they can provide compassionate care to patients inspired by the empathy and compassion displayed by characters towards their patients (M=3.67; SD=0.50), implying that medical-themed shows highly influenced them to exhibit empathy and compassion to their patients. This finding is significant as compassion is a fundamental aspect of Paulinian core values, and in nursing care, the portrayal of compassionate interactions in TV shows may have influenced these Paulinian nursing students to prioritize empathy in their patient interactions. Shedding light on how watching kind and caring interactions on TV shows encourages viewers to focus more on being empathetic, an article by Ahmadzadeh et. al (2019) claims that showing movies depicting patient-physician encounters and related issues to medical students seems to have beneficial effects on learning empathy. This is also significantly related to the findings of Terry and Peck in 2020, in which out of the 291 students who participated in their study, it was found out that “wanting to help people” and “wanting to make a difference” in the lives of the patients rank the highest on the student’s motivations for wanting to become a nurse. Moreover, compassion and empathy were identified as the preferred care medium by patients and were identified as impactful (Sinclair et al., 2016c). Going back to the table, the high score indicates that exposure to compassionate caregiving in medical-themed shows positively influenced the nursing students' beliefs in their ability to provide empathetic care in real-life nursing settings. On the other hand, although rated lowest by the same respondents, they still strongly agreed that watching medical-themed shows highly influenced their belief that they can handle stressful situations in a hospital setting (Mean=3.40; SD=0.56). Handling stress is a common aspect of healthcare professions, and the portrayal of high-pressure scenarios in TV shows must fully capture the complexity and intensity of real-life stressors in healthcare settings. A medical show would have to strive to capture all the complexities of nursing--the stress of the job, the multiple responsibilities, the interactions with patients and their families, the effect on their relationships. If it's not done accurately and realistically, it defeats its job to showcase, therefore, reducing its impact to influence (AMN Healthcare, 2017). With all that being discussed, it is still noteworthy to consider that the mean score of 3.40 for the lowest-rated indicator does not necessarily show a great disparity between the highest and the rest of the indicators. Meaning, the findings still implied that the medical-themed shows highly influenced these freshmen Paulinian student-nurses’ self-efficacy belief in performing various nursing work. Table 3.2 presents various indicators related to the expectations Paulinian freshmen nursing students have regarding the nursing profession based on their exposure to fictional portrayals of healthcare settings and professionals in television shows. Outcome expectations refer to beliefs about the consequences or outcomes of performing particular behaviors. Bandura (1960) argued that people develop outcome expectations regarding different academic and career paths from a variety of direct and various learning experiences, such as perceptions of the outcomes they have personally received in relevant past endeavors and the secondhand information they acquire about different career fields (e.g., by observing family and community members or seeing how different forms of work are portrayed in various media). Comprehensively, all indicators reflect a generally positive impact of medical-themed shows on nursing students’ outcome expectations related to nursing careers (M=3.53; SD=0.44), which suggests that medical-themed shows highly influenced the outcome expectations of the nursing students that may ultimately favor choosing nursing as a future career. This also indicates that the student nurses perceive International Journal of Current Science Research and Review ISSN: 2581-8341 Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 DOI: 10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28, Impact Factor: 8.048 IJCSRR @ 2025 www.ijcsrr.org 5163 *Corresponding Author: Nikko T. Ederio Volume 08 Issue 10 October 2025 Available at: www.ijcsrr.org Page No. 5155-5173 Table 3.2 nursing as a profession that offers both personal growth opportunities and rewards, while also acknowledging the challenges and dynamics of real-life practice. This also implies that nursing education programs should consider integrating media literacy into their curricula, helping students critically evaluate the portrayals of nursing in medical-themed shows. Additionally, educators can leverage these shows to inspire students and reinforce ethical principles, ultimately enhancing their commitment to the profession. Fontanilla et al. (2023) studied the various reasons why students are driven to become nurse and their study found out that nursing offers numerous opportunities for personal and professional growth, enticing students to join this line of work. Looking closely, the respondents strongly agreed that being a nurse offers opportunities for personal growth and development as depicted in medical-themed shows (M=3.75; SD=0.44). This indicates that they perceive nursing not only as a rewarding career choice but also as a pathway for personal advancement and self-improvement, aligning with the developmental narratives often portrayed in such media. The high score in this indicator suggests that the Paulinian freshmen nursing students are highly influenced by the representations of nurses experiencing professional and personal growth in fictional settings, which may inspire aspirations for similar development in their nursing careers. This underscores the importance of utilizing these media portrayals in educational settings to foster a deeper understanding of the nursing role and to promote ethical practices among future nurses. In an interactive online website called CareerVillage.org (2024), registered nurses from across the world shared their insights on the rewarding aspects of the nursing profession. According to them, the rewarding aspects of the nursing profession include making a meaningful difference in patient care, pursuing diverse career opportunities, continuous learning and professional growth, as well as fostering teamwork within the healthcare community. This can also be supported by the findings of Fontanilla et al. 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(2025). Influence of Medical-Themed Shows on Career Choice among Freshmen Nursing Students. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review, 8(10), pp. 5155-5173. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-28