title: Development and psychometric evaluation of the patient care associates' work environment scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Patient Care Associates' Work Environment Scale (PCA-WES).
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Few studies exist examining patient care associates (PCAs) working in acute care settings, and no instruments are available to examine the impact of the work environment on their practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  A psychometric evaluation using a nonprobability purposive sample of 390 PCAs was undertaken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cronbach's α internal consistency reliability of the total score was .95. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalization identified 5 components that accounted for 57.2% of variance and confirmed the original theoretical structure. The resulting 35-item scale had subscale Cronbach's α reliability estimates that ranged from .84 to .93.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The multidimensional PCA-WES is a psychometrically sound measure of 5 components of the PCA practice environment in the acute care setting and is sufficiently reliable and valid for use as independent subscales in healthcare research.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer (Dr Ives-Erickson); Senior Nurse Scientist (Dr Duffy) and Director (Dr Jones), Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
authors.forename: Jeanette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ives-Erickson
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.forename: Dorothy A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D009518:New York; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D017132:Workplace