UCLA

In California, Filipina/x/os continue to be overrepresented in the nursing workforce, with the percentage of nurses identifying as Filipino increasing from 13.4% in 1993 to 20.6% in 2018 (Spetz et al., 2018). While a particular ethnic group being overrepresented in a certain industry is not problematic on its own, certain careers come with greater occupational risk. Striking reports during the COVID-19 pandemic found that 21% of nurses who died of COVID-19 were of Filipina/x/o descent, despite comprising only about 4% of nurses nationwide (National Nurses United, 2023). While scholarship has connected the colonial-era initiatives in the Philippines to Filipina/x/o immigrants’ career choices, career development literature has not explored the potential roles of colonial remnants to subsequent generations Filipina/x/o Americans.

This study investigated whether vestiges of colonialism, including colonial mentality, could explain this pattern in Filipina/x/o Americans’ career choices (David, 2013). This mixed-methods study first utilized the Higher Education Research Institute’s Freshman Survey to examine demographic, academic, and cognitive/affective characteristics of 12,991 Filipina/x/o incoming first-year students by intended career choice and by gender. Then, 12 Filipina/x/o American current nursing students engaged in two semi-structured interviews prompting them to reflect on their life histories, educational trajectories, and influences on their career choices.

Key findings from the quantitative phase indicated significant associations between intended career choice and several demographic characteristics, including gender, religion, and family income. In comparison to their counterparts pursuing other careers, aspiring nurses anticipated the least likelihood of changing their career choice during college, and these students also regarded their families’ opinions of college more highly than their peers. Findings from the qualitative phase further unpacked these findings, illuminating clear connections to vestiges of colonialism (e.g., religion, parents’ educational trajectories) and certain colonial mentality manifestations—internalized inferiority, cultural shame, and colonial debt—as affecting participants’ career choices. This study contributes to our understanding of the enduring effects of colonialism on Filipina/x/o Americans, with implication for future research, pre-college advising, and career development education.