VALIDATING THE NURSING PRACTICE READINESS SCALE IN NEW GRADUATE NURSES IN THE UNITED STATES

Transitioning from student to practicing nurse is a critical milestone for new graduate registered nurses. The study aimed to evaluate the construct validity and reliability of the Nursing Practice Readiness Scale in the United States context. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 178 new graduate registered nurses. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the original 35-item Nursing Practice Readiness Scale demonstrated poor model fit, resulting in Exploratory Factor Analysis, which led to a refined 17-item version. The revised instrument comprises three factors: Clinical Judgment and Nursing Performance, Professional Attitude, and Patient-Centeredness. A final Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed a good model fit, (x2 [116] = 208.874, CMIN/DF = 1.801, CFI = .913, RMSEA = .067, meeting the a priori model-fit criteria. Internal consistency was supported across the total scale (α = .882). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that only the length of employment as a registered nurse predicted readiness scores. The absence of an expert panel is acknowledged as a limitation, and its inclusion is recommended for future validation studies. The revised Nursing Practice Readiness Scale-United States demonstrated strong psychometric properties and has the potential to guide readiness assessment and support transition-to-practice initiatives in academic and clinical settings.

Name thesis:degree_name

PhD in Nursing (Doctoral)

Grantor

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Landry, Kennessa

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Surname, Given Name (emailaddress@utmb.edu)

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2152.3/12810

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utmb-ir.tdl.org:2152.3/12810