The impact of job satisfaction, stress and career needs on Navy nurses intent to stay on active duty

Abstract

The nursing profession is experiencing a shortage of registered nurses that is only expected to escalate. The Navy Nurse Corps (NC) takes the shortage seriously and would like to prevent a shortage from occurring in the Navy. Beginning in 1998 and continuing annually an Organizational Assessment Questionnaire (OAQ) is mailed to a random sample of Navy Medical Department personnel. The OAQ addresses several variables that could be related to intent to stay on active duty. The purpose of this study was to use the OAQ data to examine the levels of job satisfaction, job stress, and career needs, including the importance and how satisfying career needs are, as perceived by Navy nurses. In addition, the study explored the relationship among job satisfaction, job stress, importance of career needs and how satisfying career needs are with the impact on intent to stay on active duty. Finally the study determined which of the following four predictor variables: job satisfaction, job stress, importance of career needs, and degree of satisfaction with career needs were most influential in predicting Navy nurses' intent to stay on active duty.

Secondary data analysis of 1998, 1999, and 2000 surveys occurred. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were used to help provide the best prediction possible. Data from the 1998 survey was referred to as the calibration sample. Because there were data from 1998 through 2000, three samples from the same population, a double-cross validation study determined how well the regression equation obtained from the original study in 1998 performed in another sample from the same population in 1999 and 2000.

The findings of this study indicated an overall intent to stay on active duty, a moderate level of job satisfaction, and that Navy nurses are not especially stressed on the job. The purpose of multiple regression is to model or group variables that best predict a criterion variable. The correlations between the predictor variables and intent to stay were all positive except for job stress, which was expected. While an increase in job stress is associated with intent to stay, when the other predictor, variables are held constant, an increase in job stress is related to a decrease in intent to stay in the Navy.

Thorough analysis of the data specifically for the Nurse Corps provided a solid base to ground strategic planning for the Corps. This study provided a reliable benchmark and accessibility for subsequent studies annually. Knowing their input is being thoroughly analyzed, published, and used for decision making may encourage NC officers to continue to complete the survey annually. Other Navy Medical Departments such as the Navy Dental Corps, which is currently experiencing a shortfall of dentists, may use this methodology to establish a relationship among the same variables for their community.