Predictors of Job Satisfaction and Intent to Remain in Academia: a Study of Full-Time Nurse Faculty Teaching in Baccalaureate Nursing Programs in Alabama
ABSTRACTFor decades, the nurse faculty shortage in the United States has impacted the number of qualified nursing students admitted to BSN programs. The persistence of this problem is a major issue that impacts health care systems across the country. The current prediction is the nurse faculty shortage will have a serious impact in Alabama. Bachelor of Science Programs were selected for this study because they graduate a large majority of nurses in Alabama. Full-time nursing faculty are more likely to have a critical effect on vacancy rates if they leave academia. Researchers who have examined Nurse Faculty Job satisfaction (NFJS) have identified factors that determine NFJS. However, there is a need for research on NFJS and how it applies to nurse faculty retention. Locke’s range of affect theory and Wang and Liesveld's (2015) concepts of NFJS were utilized to develop a framework that places organizational factors at the center of NFJS determinants. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify NFJS features that have the most impact on NFJS and determine what type of relationship NFJS has with Nurse Faculty Intent to Remain (NFITR). This study also identified the relationship between NFJS and NFITR of nurse faculty who were not influenced by tenure and proximity to retirement. Linear regression analysis was utilized to look for the significance of organizational factors: Co-workers, work at present job, supervisor/administration, pay, and opportunities for promotion. The study found that co-worker and supervisor/administrative relationships and work at present job were significant predictors of NFJS. The study also found that NFJS is a significant predictor of NFITR. Spearman rho correlations found that nurse faculty who are not influenced by tenure and proximity to retirement report a strong positive relationship that exists between NFJS and NFITR. These findings are important to the retention of nurse faculty in Alabama BSN programs at a time when nurse faculty retention is critical.
intent to remain, job satisfaction, nurse faculty, nurse faculty shortage, nursing education, retention
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