Career Commitment
in Nursing
DIANE L. GARDNER, PHD, RN*
There are different patterns and styles to careers in nursing. The concept of career commitment in nursing is explored, and the results of some research are discussed for their implications for nursing careers. A longitudinal, repeated-measures descriptive survey was used to measure career commitment and explore its relationship to turnover and work performance in 320 newly employed registered nurses at one hospital. Career commitment scores dropped significantly over the first year. Although career commitment does correlate with turnover, and there is a relationship with job performance, the direct association is weak. Career commitment is not a stable phenomenon in the first year in a new job. It appears to be susceptible to organizational factors, thus making it possible to provide positive benefits for both nurses and hospitals through enhanced career commitment. (Index words: Career commitment; Careers; Nursing; Performance; Turnover) J Prof Nurs 8:755-160, 7992. Copyright 0 1992 by W.6. Saunders Company
tend to have work interruptions mitment
W
This simple question
response from nurses. be a nurse, following
female relative, having convenient occupational deliberately
a steady job, or pursuing a option. If nursing was chosen
as a career path,
will describe a pattern
often provokes a flood of
They tell you about wanting to in the footsteps of an admired
nurses
of picking
Career paths appear to be different for men and women in our society, but traditional career concepts progression. deprecation
predicated
on the male
model
of career
This results in a relative devaluing and of female patterns. For example, women
*Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, The University of Iowa, and Adjunct Director of Nursing, Mercy Hospital, Iowa City, IA. Funds for this research were provided by Division of Nursing, Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service Grant Nos. NUO1050-01 and NU 00812, and by the National Center for Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health Grant No. NR01050-03, J. McCloskey, PI. Address correspondence and reprint requests to DC Gardner: College of Nursing (482 NB), The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242. Copyright 0 1992 by W.B. Saunders Company 8755-7223/92/0803-0007$03.00/O
Journal of Professional Nursing,
the childbear-
is viewed
as unreliability.
in our society still carry the primary
accommodate
Workplace
family responsibilities
ployed full-time
while being
have not yet been resolved.
as a 97% female occupation, and attitudes about careers;
burden
issues of how to em-
Nursing,
mirrors society’s values however, these may be
changing. Economic pressures on women to work outside the home as well as the national shortage of registered nurses mitment nurses
have evoked growing in nursing.
interest
It is important
who are planning
their
nursing. Career commitment ganizations concerned about
in career comto individual
employment
within
is also important to orthe recruitment and re-
of nurses in specific jobs. Career commitment
becomes an issue in nursing because it relates to the attractiveness of nursing as a lifelong occupational choice and valued career option.
This article will ex-
plore the concept of career commitment in nursing and describe the results of some longitudinal research.
Career Commitment
prep-
aration and/or job prospect based on geographic proximity and convenience of location to their home.
have been
therefore
of family responsibilities.
most frequently
an educational
and
Women
tention HY DID YOU DECIDEto go into nursing?
during
ing years. This may be seen as a lack of career com-
Vol 8, No 3 (May-June),
Career commitment in nursing is defined as the intent to build a career that is a meaningful part of a lifelong pursuit (Gardner, 1986). In the management literature, career commitment was defined by Blau (1985)
as one’s attitude
towards
one’s profession
or
vocation. It is considered to be the strength of one’s motivation to work in a chosen career role (Hall, 1971) or the identification with and involvement in one’s profession (Mueller, Wallace, & Price, 1990). Commitment to a career field is different from two other dimensions of commitment: commitment to a job (job involvement) and commitment to an organization (organizational commitment). These latter two forms of commitment are concerned with an employee’s loyalty to or bonding with a specific job or institution (Price & Mueller, 1981). Career, work, and organizational commitment are distinct and different constructs (Morrow, 1983; Mueller, Wallace, & 1992: pp 155-160
155
156
DIANE
Price,
1990; Wiener
& Vardi,
career
commitment
is relevant
nurses spend a considerable and money preparing The concept long-standing ars because variable
amount
of time,
area of interest it has been Porter,
that employee
and found that there was no significant
schol-
to be an important
the work behavior
of em-
to an organiza-
predictor
of behaviors
such as turnover.
For the employee,
weakened
the organization
provide
of freedom
makes
both
difficult. late
psychological
Research
1950s.
The
(1956), Festinger Lodahl and Kejner defined
a degree
and physical
on commitment work
ties to
(1960),
noted
what
Dubin
the 1970s that
research data on commitment began to appear. Basically, there have been two traditions in the commitment literature: The first looked at commitment as an attitude (Mowday, Steers, & Porter, 1979; Steers, 1977), and the second looked at commitment as a 1957; Kiesler, 197 1; Salancik, behavior (Festinger, 1977).
The research and aspirations
women workers. bitious
(1966)
continuous
Laws (1976)
labeled
Women
and career oriented
reasons,
commitments. with
have deconsistent
found a high corwork
history
on women’s
and
occupational
generally
has focused on
as deficit
theories
were assumed than men;
about
to be less amthese assump-
tions were often explained in terms of early sex role socialization (Kaufman & Fetters, 1980). Most sociological
literature
identified
ship responsibilities
women’s
as the antecedent
career and professional
commitment
traditional
kin-
of their
lesser
(Kaufman
& Fet-
ters, 1980; Pavalko, 1969). An alternative explanation was formulated by Mayes, Schultz, and Pierce (1968), who postulated that career commitment may be different for women than for men because of the different societal expectations
Studies of careers and achievement have assumed that an irregular work history signified a lack of serious career commitment.
Ginzberg
between
achievement.
career
as synonymous
Iines of activity.
be-
meaning-
that most sociologists
commitment
less
(1957), Gouldner (1960), and (1965) are among the oldest that
the field, but it was not until
Becker (1962)
relation
for different
were relatively
of predicting
motivations
leaving
for both groups,
less in terms
that
dates back to the
of Becker
tions occurred
difference
She found that career interrup-
and that career interruptions
fined
studied
of work for female versus male physicians
tween the two groups.
& Steers, 1982). The theory
be a fairly reliable
(1978)
energy,
to work has been a
commitment
Quadagno
the meaning
for management
shown
rious career commitment.
because
for their chosen field.
for understanding
tion should
to nursing
of commitment
ployees (Mowday, suggests
1980). The concept of
L. GARDNER
about
careers and marriage
for each. Hennig
and Jardim (1978) studied women found that women and men differed tions
of a career.
growth, tribution
Women
managers and in their defini-
saw a career as personal
self-fulfillment, satisfaction, making a conto others, and doing what one wants to do.
Men saw a career as a series or progression of jobs leading toward recognition and reward. Men related the jobs that they do to their career advancement, while women defined jobs in the present and saw a
Career commitment appears to be similar to the concepts of career salience (Almquist & Angrist, 197 1; Greenhaus, 197 1) and professional commit-
career as a personal, individual goal. This same idea appeared m an editorial in the Western Journal of Nursing Research (Brink, 1988). It was noted that there is
ment don,
(Kraemer & Rigolizzo-Gurenlian, 1985; Shel1971; Weiss, 1981). Morrow (1983) believed
a significant difference between a job and a career. This proposition, that your prime requirement as an
that career salience is a useful concept in that it attempts to capture the notion of a devotion to a craft, occupation, or profession apart from any specific work environment and over an extended period of time. Friss (1983) defined professional commitment as char-
individual is to do the things that will enhance your career and that the time and energy you put into your job will enhance your job longevity but may not meet your career goals, was posited by male nurses. Reporting on the results of a large study, Buscherhof and Seymour (1990) found that nurses most highly valued intrinsic forms of success, such as achieving competence in clinical practice, satisfaction, fulfillment in daily work, and making a significant impact on human welfare. Nurses do not define success in their work primarily by the achievement of
acterized by an unwillingness to change career, personal involvement in the work role, dedication to the profession, pride in the occupation, and stimulation from professional activities. Studies of careers and achievement have assumed that an irregular work history signified a lack of se-
CAREER COMMITMENT
money, that
and position.
power,
this
results
acquiring
these
women
from
The authors
barriers
extrinsic
male standards
ways. Women
postulate
in the workplace
forms
reject the judgment
realistic
157
IN NURSING
of success.
to
Thus,
of their work by the un-
and redefine
seem less inclined
success in other
to apply the concept
commitment
aspect by recognizing family
roles.
valuing
takes
In balancing
these realities,
diversity
choosing
challenge
different
male-model
for organizations
there
is a
that results from difcareer patterns
balance these roles. Career commitment side of the traditional
instrument
to
& Hefferin,
reliability
work
on commitment
measures.
importance
closest
used
single-item
research,
it as a single
work
An expanded
item called
in nursing
scale would
Young
as a depenfull-time more fully
of career commitment,
the importance
of full-time
which
work.
SAMPLE
The
is to match organizational
Previous
commitment
She measured
the dimension
goes beyond
Test-
was .76.
related
professional
an
commitment.
primarily
can exist out-
linear pattern.
career
for developing
23 nurses
of continued
after marriage. capture
with
In the
studied
1982) were used
framework
to measure
retest
dent variable.
humanistic
that adults carry work, self, and
of the natural
ferent individuals
on a more
(Kleinknecht
to form the conceptual
(1984)
of a career to the work they do. Career
planning
All of the 350 registered
nurses who joined a large,
needs to worker styles. Even advocates of the “mommy track” for business are looking for ways to
midwestern hospital asked to participate
access talented human resources within of today’s society (Schwartz, 1989).
cent) agreed. Nurses were followed for the first year of work and asked to complete questionnaires at three
the constraints
over a 15-month period were in the study, and 320 (91 per
time periods: during
m
.
.
the
of career
dimension
. . . goes beyond
commitmenf,
the first month
on the job and at
6 months and 12 months of employment. During the first year on the job, 54 nurses (17 per cent) resigned;
the importance of full-time work.
of those who remained, the study. The sample
150 (59 per cent) completed consisted of 70 (22 per cent)
associate degree nurses (ADNs),
5 1 (16 per cent) di-
ploma nurses, 188 (59 per cent) baccalaureate nurses (BSNs), and 10 (3 per cent) master’s degree (MA) To examine
career commitment
in hospital
nurses,
the results of a longitudinal, descriptive survey research project will be described. Career commitment was measured
as one variable
related to work behavior
in nursing. The purpose was to explore the level of career commitment and to see if it changes over the first year of work. Career commitment amined for its relationship to turnover
nurses.
The
sample
the
20 for
INSTRUMENTS
was measured
by the Gardner
Career Commitment Scale (Gardner, 1986), a sevenitem, Likert-type scale, with each item rated on a
Methodology
five-point mitment, professionalism, mance of newly employed
approximately
age was 27, with 59 per cent of the nurses between
Career commitment
As a part of a larger study of job satisfaction,
stayed
and 25 years old. This was the first job in nursing 46 per cent of these subjects.
was also exand work per-
formance.
mix
same by the end of the 12 months. This sample was 95 per cent female and 96 per cent white. The mean
com-
turnover, and work perforhospital nurses (McCloskey
& McCain, 1987), the concept of career commitment was investigated. Because there were no available instruments to measure career commitment in nursing (Gardner, 1986), the general concepts of professional commitment (Friss, 1983), intent to stay in the career (Price & Mueller, 1981), value of the career choice to the individual (Mayes, Schultz, & Pierce, 1968), central life interest (Dubin, 1956), willingness to invest and involve oneself in the profession (Mowday, Porter, & Steers, 1982), and indicators of long-range
scale from
strongly
disagree
to strongly
agree. Items for the total scale were summed and a mean was derived. The higher the mean score, the greater the level of career commitment was considered to be. Psychometric testing with an exploratory factor analysis resulted in a unidimensional seven-item scale. Internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha was .80 to .82 (Gardner, 1986). Performance was measured by the Six Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance (McCloskey & McCain, 1988; Schwirian, 1978) and by the hospital’s staff nurse evaluation form (McCloskey & McCain, 1988). The Six Dimension Scale has 52 rating scale items clustered into six subscales: leadership; critical care;
158
DIANE L. GARDNER
teaching
and collaboration;
interpersonal fessional ported
relations
development. by Schwirian
this study,
TABLE
alpha
ranges
re-
from .90 to .96. from hospital
records as ac-
from the institution.
Results Career commitment
2.
and pro-
(1978) were from .84 to .%?; in
was collected
tual separation
and evaluation;
Cronbach’s
they ranged
Turnover
planning
and communication;
Between groups (ed) Within groups (time) Interaction (ed by time) Abbreviations, ‘P c .05
scores were descriptively
both
correlated
in Table
initially
of the nurse are
1. Career commitment
moderately
high.
A repeated
df
MS
F
P
4.82
3
1.61
2.51
061
2.56
2
1.28
10.48
000’
-
6
1.98
,068
-
SS, sum of squares, MS, mean square
ana-
lyzed for their levels and changes over time. The mean degree
ss
Source
scores over time by highest shown
Repeated Measures ANOVA for Gardner Scale Over 1 Year
scores were measures
anal-
(both
1 month
and
12 months,
significantly
self-ratings
career commitment
with the Six Dimension
and head nurse
ratings).
Scale
Further-
over the first year of employment. Masprepared nurses had the highest scores,
distinmore, the variable of career commitment guished top and medium performers from poor performers when the sample was split into top, medium, and poor performers (McCloskey & McCain, 1988).
followed by BSNs, ADNs, and diploma nurses. The largest drop over time in mean scores occurred for
Thus, career commitment appears to have an effect both on job performance and on turnover in the first
ADN prepared nurses. Career commitment does not remain stable over the first year of a new job. Al-
year of employment.
ysis of variance significantly ter’s degree
though
(ANOVA)
this sample
showed that they dropped
contained
a large proportion
of
new graduates, this fmding held true for all nurses when the results were analyzed by experience in nursing. A repeated tically
measures
significant
ANOVA
relationship
between
educational
takes a new job; however, the first year,
at least over the course of
some element
of job-specific
frustra-
tions, such as unrealistic expectations, or job-specific dissatisfiers, such as shift rotation, may emerge and overshadow the idealistic aspects of a career. The data were analyzed to determine the relationship of career commitment
to turnover
and job per-
formance (Table 3). The results indicated that career commitment was significantly and negatively correlated with turnover at all three time periods; however, the correlations were weak. Career commitment also bears some relationship to job performance (McCloskey & McCain, 1988). At
TABLE
1.
Gardner Scale Mean Scores Highest Degree
the low magnitude
of
Conclusions
showed no statis-
level and career commitment scores over time, although the trend was toward a relationship (P = .Obl; Table 2). What appears to be operating is that career commitment is initially high when a nurse
However,
the correlations suggest that there may be other moderating variables operating in this relationship.
The literature would indicate that career patterns are different for women than for men. Women view their careers and the definition of success in their work differently from men. This appears to hold true for nursing as a predominantly female occupation. The results of this research show that career commitment is not a stable phenomenon, susceptible to the influence
but rather it appears to be of organizational factors,
at least over the first year of employment.
If it is true
that career commitment has an important effect on work variables such as performance, then it appears to be important to nurture career commitment in nurses as they progress, at least in the first year of a new job. Nurses should be encouraged through incentives to
TABLE
3.
Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficients of Career Commitment With Performance and Turnover Performance
by
Head Nurse
Self
Time
ADN
Diploma
BSN
MA
Sample
Initial 6 mo 12 mo Total
3.91 3.84 3.58 3.78
3.70 3.39 3.49 3.53
3.94 3.81 3.82 3.82
4.19 3.82 3.96 3.99
3.89 3.73 3 65 3.65
Career Commitment
Gardner-l mo Gardner-6 mo Gardner-l 2 mo “P s
05.
~__
Turnover ____.
r
P
r
P
,
P
.15 .lO .17
04* .12 .03’
.16 - .Ol 22
.02’ .43 .01*
- 12 ~ 12 - 15
.02* 05* .03’
CAREER COMMITMENT
participate
IN NURSING
in professional
in career planning.
activities
ties. Reward structures Perhaps
appraisal
incentives
system
for these activi-
are key aspects for career com-
organizations
career commitment that promote
and to be involved
The performance
could be used to provide mitment.
159
through
can further
structures
professionalism
influence in nurs-
The way career commitment interpretation ruptions,
of work behaviors,
and affects the valuing McBride
is viewed
affects the
such as career interof an occupation.
but success is made by strategically
a career.
Furthermore,
value
to society
nursing
to nursing, regard
1989).
the hidden
This will provide
to promote
our
work of
career styles.
establish
Further
the desired
is of
of the reality
of career stages and patterns. Morrison and Zebelman (1982) said that work needs, self needs, and family needs are all interactive career needs. These needs shift in relative priority during the adult life cycle. Furthermore, careers go through at least three stages: early, middle, and late (Raelin, 1983). Van Maanen and Schein (1977) identified the career stages as exestablishment,
Driver (1979) self-actuating,
maintenance,
is needed
to provide measure
mix of employees
guide-
and deter-
by career styles.
careers will benefit
from
of diverse styles, and that career commit-
affects work aspects can capitalize
such as job performance,
on career concepts
to advance
its professionalism.
as a posi-
strategy. The data base on career commitment in nursing in a formative stage. Basic to the understanding
ploration,
there is
these career stages and career
study
Once we accept that nursing
nursing
that
the desired
for nursing
this occupation
is the understanding
to obtain
lines as to how to more precisely
the valuing
Applied
She recommends
a strategy
not a way to measure
mine
as steady-state,
and spiral.
by career styles. Currently,
Summary
tive career choice for potential new nurses. Celebrating and publicizing successful nursing careers is a key
career commitment
career styles transient,
she finds that nurses are a diverse group in
to their
mix of employees
ment
building
we need to make visible
by uncovering
(Wolf,
an opportunity
For
(1985) finds that a career may “just
happen,”
identified
entrepreneurial,
patterns.
ing practice.
nursing,
linear,
organizations
and processes
and autonomy
Ftiss (1989)
and decline.
described four career styles as spiral or linear, steady-state, and transient.
There are different types and patterns of career commitment. In nursing, career commitment seems to be susceptible to organizational influences. Career commitment is important for performance in the first year on a new job and for turnover.
Although
not sure how the different patterns gether in organizations, enhancing
and styles fit tocareer commit-
ment in nursing
will reap benefits
and their employing (1990) noted, nurses
we are
both for individuals
organizations. As McClure make choices on a continuum
from one extreme of true career orientation to the other of minimal job commitment. We need committed professionals
in nursing
to make a difference
for
patients.
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in Nursing
DIANE L. GARDNER, PHD, RN*
There are different patterns and styles to careers in nursing. The concept of career commitment in nursing is explored, and the results of some research are discussed for their implications for nursing careers. A longitudinal, repeated-measures descriptive survey was used to measure career commitment and explore its relationship to turnover and work performance in 320 newly employed registered nurses at one hospital. Career commitment scores dropped significantly over the first year. Although career commitment does correlate with turnover, and there is a relationship with job performance, the direct association is weak. Career commitment is not a stable phenomenon in the first year in a new job. It appears to be susceptible to organizational factors, thus making it possible to provide positive benefits for both nurses and hospitals through enhanced career commitment. (Index words: Career commitment; Careers; Nursing; Performance; Turnover) J Prof Nurs 8:755-160, 7992. Copyright 0 1992 by W.6. Saunders Company
tend to have work interruptions mitment
W
This simple question
response from nurses. be a nurse, following
female relative, having convenient occupational deliberately
a steady job, or pursuing a option. If nursing was chosen
as a career path,
will describe a pattern
often provokes a flood of
They tell you about wanting to in the footsteps of an admired
nurses
of picking
Career paths appear to be different for men and women in our society, but traditional career concepts progression. deprecation
predicated
on the male
model
of career
This results in a relative devaluing and of female patterns. For example, women
*Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, The University of Iowa, and Adjunct Director of Nursing, Mercy Hospital, Iowa City, IA. Funds for this research were provided by Division of Nursing, Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service Grant Nos. NUO1050-01 and NU 00812, and by the National Center for Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health Grant No. NR01050-03, J. McCloskey, PI. Address correspondence and reprint requests to DC Gardner: College of Nursing (482 NB), The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242. Copyright 0 1992 by W.B. Saunders Company 8755-7223/92/0803-0007$03.00/O
Journal of Professional Nursing,
the childbear-
is viewed
as unreliability.
in our society still carry the primary
accommodate
Workplace
family responsibilities
ployed full-time
while being
have not yet been resolved.
as a 97% female occupation, and attitudes about careers;
burden
issues of how to em-
Nursing,
mirrors society’s values however, these may be
changing. Economic pressures on women to work outside the home as well as the national shortage of registered nurses mitment nurses
have evoked growing in nursing.
interest
It is important
who are planning
their
nursing. Career commitment ganizations concerned about
in career comto individual
employment
within
is also important to orthe recruitment and re-
of nurses in specific jobs. Career commitment
becomes an issue in nursing because it relates to the attractiveness of nursing as a lifelong occupational choice and valued career option.
This article will ex-
plore the concept of career commitment in nursing and describe the results of some longitudinal research.
Career Commitment
prep-
aration and/or job prospect based on geographic proximity and convenience of location to their home.
have been
therefore
of family responsibilities.
most frequently
an educational
and
Women
tention HY DID YOU DECIDEto go into nursing?
during
ing years. This may be seen as a lack of career com-
Vol 8, No 3 (May-June),
Career commitment in nursing is defined as the intent to build a career that is a meaningful part of a lifelong pursuit (Gardner, 1986). In the management literature, career commitment was defined by Blau (1985)
as one’s attitude
towards
one’s profession
or
vocation. It is considered to be the strength of one’s motivation to work in a chosen career role (Hall, 1971) or the identification with and involvement in one’s profession (Mueller, Wallace, & Price, 1990). Commitment to a career field is different from two other dimensions of commitment: commitment to a job (job involvement) and commitment to an organization (organizational commitment). These latter two forms of commitment are concerned with an employee’s loyalty to or bonding with a specific job or institution (Price & Mueller, 1981). Career, work, and organizational commitment are distinct and different constructs (Morrow, 1983; Mueller, Wallace, & 1992: pp 155-160
155
156
DIANE
Price,
1990; Wiener
& Vardi,
career
commitment
is relevant
nurses spend a considerable and money preparing The concept long-standing ars because variable
amount
of time,
area of interest it has been Porter,
that employee
and found that there was no significant
schol-
to be an important
the work behavior
of em-
to an organiza-
predictor
of behaviors
such as turnover.
For the employee,
weakened
the organization
provide
of freedom
makes
both
difficult. late
psychological
Research
1950s.
The
(1956), Festinger Lodahl and Kejner defined
a degree
and physical
on commitment work
ties to
(1960),
noted
what
Dubin
the 1970s that
research data on commitment began to appear. Basically, there have been two traditions in the commitment literature: The first looked at commitment as an attitude (Mowday, Steers, & Porter, 1979; Steers, 1977), and the second looked at commitment as a 1957; Kiesler, 197 1; Salancik, behavior (Festinger, 1977).
The research and aspirations
women workers. bitious
(1966)
continuous
Laws (1976)
labeled
Women
and career oriented
reasons,
commitments. with
have deconsistent
found a high corwork
history
on women’s
and
occupational
generally
has focused on
as deficit
theories
were assumed than men;
about
to be less amthese assump-
tions were often explained in terms of early sex role socialization (Kaufman & Fetters, 1980). Most sociological
literature
identified
ship responsibilities
women’s
as the antecedent
career and professional
commitment
traditional
kin-
of their
lesser
(Kaufman
& Fet-
ters, 1980; Pavalko, 1969). An alternative explanation was formulated by Mayes, Schultz, and Pierce (1968), who postulated that career commitment may be different for women than for men because of the different societal expectations
Studies of careers and achievement have assumed that an irregular work history signified a lack of serious career commitment.
Ginzberg
between
achievement.
career
as synonymous
Iines of activity.
be-
meaning-
that most sociologists
commitment
less
(1957), Gouldner (1960), and (1965) are among the oldest that
the field, but it was not until
Becker (1962)
relation
for different
were relatively
of predicting
motivations
leaving
for both groups,
less in terms
that
dates back to the
of Becker
tions occurred
difference
She found that career interrup-
and that career interruptions
fined
studied
of work for female versus male physicians
tween the two groups.
& Steers, 1982). The theory
be a fairly reliable
(1978)
energy,
to work has been a
commitment
Quadagno
the meaning
for management
shown
rious career commitment.
because
for their chosen field.
for understanding
tion should
to nursing
of commitment
ployees (Mowday, suggests
1980). The concept of
L. GARDNER
about
careers and marriage
for each. Hennig
and Jardim (1978) studied women found that women and men differed tions
of a career.
growth, tribution
Women
managers and in their defini-
saw a career as personal
self-fulfillment, satisfaction, making a conto others, and doing what one wants to do.
Men saw a career as a series or progression of jobs leading toward recognition and reward. Men related the jobs that they do to their career advancement, while women defined jobs in the present and saw a
Career commitment appears to be similar to the concepts of career salience (Almquist & Angrist, 197 1; Greenhaus, 197 1) and professional commit-
career as a personal, individual goal. This same idea appeared m an editorial in the Western Journal of Nursing Research (Brink, 1988). It was noted that there is
ment don,
(Kraemer & Rigolizzo-Gurenlian, 1985; Shel1971; Weiss, 1981). Morrow (1983) believed
a significant difference between a job and a career. This proposition, that your prime requirement as an
that career salience is a useful concept in that it attempts to capture the notion of a devotion to a craft, occupation, or profession apart from any specific work environment and over an extended period of time. Friss (1983) defined professional commitment as char-
individual is to do the things that will enhance your career and that the time and energy you put into your job will enhance your job longevity but may not meet your career goals, was posited by male nurses. Reporting on the results of a large study, Buscherhof and Seymour (1990) found that nurses most highly valued intrinsic forms of success, such as achieving competence in clinical practice, satisfaction, fulfillment in daily work, and making a significant impact on human welfare. Nurses do not define success in their work primarily by the achievement of
acterized by an unwillingness to change career, personal involvement in the work role, dedication to the profession, pride in the occupation, and stimulation from professional activities. Studies of careers and achievement have assumed that an irregular work history signified a lack of se-
CAREER COMMITMENT
money, that
and position.
power,
this
results
acquiring
these
women
from
The authors
barriers
extrinsic
male standards
ways. Women
postulate
in the workplace
forms
reject the judgment
realistic
157
IN NURSING
of success.
to
Thus,
of their work by the un-
and redefine
seem less inclined
success in other
to apply the concept
commitment
aspect by recognizing family
roles.
valuing
takes
In balancing
these realities,
diversity
choosing
challenge
different
male-model
for organizations
there
is a
that results from difcareer patterns
balance these roles. Career commitment side of the traditional
instrument
to
& Hefferin,
reliability
work
on commitment
measures.
importance
closest
used
single-item
research,
it as a single
work
An expanded
item called
in nursing
scale would
Young
as a depenfull-time more fully
of career commitment,
the importance
of full-time
which
work.
SAMPLE
The
is to match organizational
Previous
commitment
She measured
the dimension
goes beyond
Test-
was .76.
related
professional
an
commitment.
primarily
can exist out-
linear pattern.
career
for developing
23 nurses
of continued
after marriage. capture
with
In the
studied
1982) were used
framework
to measure
retest
dent variable.
humanistic
that adults carry work, self, and
of the natural
ferent individuals
on a more
(Kleinknecht
to form the conceptual
(1984)
of a career to the work they do. Career
planning
All of the 350 registered
nurses who joined a large,
needs to worker styles. Even advocates of the “mommy track” for business are looking for ways to
midwestern hospital asked to participate
access talented human resources within of today’s society (Schwartz, 1989).
cent) agreed. Nurses were followed for the first year of work and asked to complete questionnaires at three
the constraints
over a 15-month period were in the study, and 320 (91 per
time periods: during
m
.
.
the
of career
dimension
. . . goes beyond
commitmenf,
the first month
on the job and at
6 months and 12 months of employment. During the first year on the job, 54 nurses (17 per cent) resigned;
the importance of full-time work.
of those who remained, the study. The sample
150 (59 per cent) completed consisted of 70 (22 per cent)
associate degree nurses (ADNs),
5 1 (16 per cent) di-
ploma nurses, 188 (59 per cent) baccalaureate nurses (BSNs), and 10 (3 per cent) master’s degree (MA) To examine
career commitment
in hospital
nurses,
the results of a longitudinal, descriptive survey research project will be described. Career commitment was measured
as one variable
related to work behavior
in nursing. The purpose was to explore the level of career commitment and to see if it changes over the first year of work. Career commitment amined for its relationship to turnover
nurses.
The
sample
the
20 for
INSTRUMENTS
was measured
by the Gardner
Career Commitment Scale (Gardner, 1986), a sevenitem, Likert-type scale, with each item rated on a
Methodology
five-point mitment, professionalism, mance of newly employed
approximately
age was 27, with 59 per cent of the nurses between
Career commitment
As a part of a larger study of job satisfaction,
stayed
and 25 years old. This was the first job in nursing 46 per cent of these subjects.
was also exand work per-
formance.
mix
same by the end of the 12 months. This sample was 95 per cent female and 96 per cent white. The mean
com-
turnover, and work perforhospital nurses (McCloskey
& McCain, 1987), the concept of career commitment was investigated. Because there were no available instruments to measure career commitment in nursing (Gardner, 1986), the general concepts of professional commitment (Friss, 1983), intent to stay in the career (Price & Mueller, 1981), value of the career choice to the individual (Mayes, Schultz, & Pierce, 1968), central life interest (Dubin, 1956), willingness to invest and involve oneself in the profession (Mowday, Porter, & Steers, 1982), and indicators of long-range
scale from
strongly
disagree
to strongly
agree. Items for the total scale were summed and a mean was derived. The higher the mean score, the greater the level of career commitment was considered to be. Psychometric testing with an exploratory factor analysis resulted in a unidimensional seven-item scale. Internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha was .80 to .82 (Gardner, 1986). Performance was measured by the Six Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance (McCloskey & McCain, 1988; Schwirian, 1978) and by the hospital’s staff nurse evaluation form (McCloskey & McCain, 1988). The Six Dimension Scale has 52 rating scale items clustered into six subscales: leadership; critical care;
158
DIANE L. GARDNER
teaching
and collaboration;
interpersonal fessional ported
relations
development. by Schwirian
this study,
TABLE
alpha
ranges
re-
from .90 to .96. from hospital
records as ac-
from the institution.
Results Career commitment
2.
and pro-
(1978) were from .84 to .%?; in
was collected
tual separation
and evaluation;
Cronbach’s
they ranged
Turnover
planning
and communication;
Between groups (ed) Within groups (time) Interaction (ed by time) Abbreviations, ‘P c .05
scores were descriptively
both
correlated
in Table
initially
of the nurse are
1. Career commitment
moderately
high.
A repeated
df
MS
F
P
4.82
3
1.61
2.51
061
2.56
2
1.28
10.48
000’
-
6
1.98
,068
-
SS, sum of squares, MS, mean square
ana-
lyzed for their levels and changes over time. The mean degree
ss
Source
scores over time by highest shown
Repeated Measures ANOVA for Gardner Scale Over 1 Year
scores were measures
anal-
(both
1 month
and
12 months,
significantly
self-ratings
career commitment
with the Six Dimension
and head nurse
ratings).
Scale
Further-
over the first year of employment. Masprepared nurses had the highest scores,
distinmore, the variable of career commitment guished top and medium performers from poor performers when the sample was split into top, medium, and poor performers (McCloskey & McCain, 1988).
followed by BSNs, ADNs, and diploma nurses. The largest drop over time in mean scores occurred for
Thus, career commitment appears to have an effect both on job performance and on turnover in the first
ADN prepared nurses. Career commitment does not remain stable over the first year of a new job. Al-
year of employment.
ysis of variance significantly ter’s degree
though
(ANOVA)
this sample
showed that they dropped
contained
a large proportion
of
new graduates, this fmding held true for all nurses when the results were analyzed by experience in nursing. A repeated tically
measures
significant
ANOVA
relationship
between
educational
takes a new job; however, the first year,
at least over the course of
some element
of job-specific
frustra-
tions, such as unrealistic expectations, or job-specific dissatisfiers, such as shift rotation, may emerge and overshadow the idealistic aspects of a career. The data were analyzed to determine the relationship of career commitment
to turnover
and job per-
formance (Table 3). The results indicated that career commitment was significantly and negatively correlated with turnover at all three time periods; however, the correlations were weak. Career commitment also bears some relationship to job performance (McCloskey & McCain, 1988). At
TABLE
1.
Gardner Scale Mean Scores Highest Degree
the low magnitude
of
Conclusions
showed no statis-
level and career commitment scores over time, although the trend was toward a relationship (P = .Obl; Table 2). What appears to be operating is that career commitment is initially high when a nurse
However,
the correlations suggest that there may be other moderating variables operating in this relationship.
The literature would indicate that career patterns are different for women than for men. Women view their careers and the definition of success in their work differently from men. This appears to hold true for nursing as a predominantly female occupation. The results of this research show that career commitment is not a stable phenomenon, susceptible to the influence
but rather it appears to be of organizational factors,
at least over the first year of employment.
If it is true
that career commitment has an important effect on work variables such as performance, then it appears to be important to nurture career commitment in nurses as they progress, at least in the first year of a new job. Nurses should be encouraged through incentives to
TABLE
3.
Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficients of Career Commitment With Performance and Turnover Performance
by
Head Nurse
Self
Time
ADN
Diploma
BSN
MA
Sample
Initial 6 mo 12 mo Total
3.91 3.84 3.58 3.78
3.70 3.39 3.49 3.53
3.94 3.81 3.82 3.82
4.19 3.82 3.96 3.99
3.89 3.73 3 65 3.65
Career Commitment
Gardner-l mo Gardner-6 mo Gardner-l 2 mo “P s
05.
~__
Turnover ____.
r
P
r
P
,
P
.15 .lO .17
04* .12 .03’
.16 - .Ol 22
.02’ .43 .01*
- 12 ~ 12 - 15
.02* 05* .03’
CAREER COMMITMENT
participate
IN NURSING
in professional
in career planning.
activities
ties. Reward structures Perhaps
appraisal
incentives
system
for these activi-
are key aspects for career com-
organizations
career commitment that promote
and to be involved
The performance
could be used to provide mitment.
159
through
can further
structures
professionalism
influence in nurs-
The way career commitment interpretation ruptions,
of work behaviors,
and affects the valuing McBride
is viewed
affects the
such as career interof an occupation.
but success is made by strategically
a career.
Furthermore,
value
to society
nursing
to nursing, regard
1989).
the hidden
This will provide
to promote
our
work of
career styles.
establish
Further
the desired
is of
of the reality
of career stages and patterns. Morrison and Zebelman (1982) said that work needs, self needs, and family needs are all interactive career needs. These needs shift in relative priority during the adult life cycle. Furthermore, careers go through at least three stages: early, middle, and late (Raelin, 1983). Van Maanen and Schein (1977) identified the career stages as exestablishment,
Driver (1979) self-actuating,
maintenance,
is needed
to provide measure
mix of employees
guide-
and deter-
by career styles.
careers will benefit
from
of diverse styles, and that career commit-
affects work aspects can capitalize
such as job performance,
on career concepts
to advance
its professionalism.
as a posi-
strategy. The data base on career commitment in nursing in a formative stage. Basic to the understanding
ploration,
there is
these career stages and career
study
Once we accept that nursing
nursing
that
the desired
for nursing
this occupation
is the understanding
to obtain
lines as to how to more precisely
the valuing
Applied
She recommends
a strategy
not a way to measure
mine
as steady-state,
and spiral.
by career styles. Currently,
Summary
tive career choice for potential new nurses. Celebrating and publicizing successful nursing careers is a key
career commitment
career styles transient,
she finds that nurses are a diverse group in
to their
mix of employees
ment
building
we need to make visible
by uncovering
(Wolf,
an opportunity
For
(1985) finds that a career may “just
happen,”
identified
entrepreneurial,
patterns.
ing practice.
nursing,
linear,
organizations
and processes
and autonomy
Ftiss (1989)
and decline.
described four career styles as spiral or linear, steady-state, and transient.
There are different types and patterns of career commitment. In nursing, career commitment seems to be susceptible to organizational influences. Career commitment is important for performance in the first year on a new job and for turnover.
Although
not sure how the different patterns gether in organizations, enhancing
and styles fit tocareer commit-
ment in nursing
will reap benefits
and their employing (1990) noted, nurses
we are
both for individuals
organizations. As McClure make choices on a continuum
from one extreme of true career orientation to the other of minimal job commitment. We need committed professionals
in nursing
to make a difference
for
patients.
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