Factors Associated with Professional Values among Paramedic Students

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined the levels of calling, major satisfaction, self-efficacy, and professional values among paramedic students and identified factors associated with their professional values. Methods: A convenience sample of students enrolled in paramedic departments at universities in D Metropolitan City and C Province, South Korea, completed structured self-administered questionnaires between August 3 and November 21, 2025. Of 196 questionnaires distributed, 179 were analyzed after 17 incomplete or unreliable responses were excluded. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, Scheffé’s post hoc test, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and simultaneous multiple linear regression. Results: The mean scores for calling, major satisfaction, self-efficacy, and professional values were 3.54±0.64, 3.67±0.65, 3.94±0.40, and 4.09±0.58 out of 5, respectively. Professional values differed significantly according to sex, age, academic year, motivation for choosing the major, and the presence of a healthcare professional in the family. Professional values were positively correlated with calling(r=.646, p<.001), major satisfaction (r=.646, p<.001), and self-efficacy(r=.617, p<.001). In the regression model, the absence of a healthcare professional in the family(β=-.278, p=.001) and calling (β=.271, p=.018) were significantly associated with professional values. The model was significant(F=18.163, p<.001), with R²=.568 and adjusted R²=.536. Conclusion: The findings suggest that students’ perceptions of occupational meaning and opportunities to encounter professional roles should be considered when understanding their professional values. Because exposure to a family role model was not directly measured, the finding regarding healthcare professionals in the family should be interpreted as an exploratory association.