title: Newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment and its associations with professional competence and work-related factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment and its associations with their self-assessed professional competence and other work-related factors.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  As a factor affecting nurse turnover, newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment and its associations with work-related factors needs exploring to retain adequate workforce. Nurses' commitment has mainly been studied as organisational commitment, but newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment and its association with work-related factors needs further studying.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study used descriptive, cross-sectional, correlation design.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of 318 newly graduated nurses in Finland participated responding to an electronic questionnaire. Statistical software, NCSS version 9, was used in data analysis. Frequencies, percentages, ranges, means and standard deviations summarised the data. Multivariate Analyses of Variance estimated associations between occupational commitment and work-related variables. IBM SPSS Amos version 22 estimated the model fit of Occupational Commitment Scale and Nurse Competence Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Newly graduated nurses' occupational commitment was good, affective commitment reaching the highest mean score. There was a significant difference between the nurse groups in favour of nurses at higher competence levels in all subscales except in limited alternatives occupational commitment. Multivariate analyses revealed significant associations between subscales of commitment and competence, turnover intentions, job satisfaction, earlier professional education and work sector, competence counting only through affective dimension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association between occupational commitment and low turnover intentions and satisfaction with nursing occupation was strong. Higher general competence indicated higher overall occupational commitment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Managers' recognition of the influence of all dimensions of occupational commitment in newly graduated nurses' professional development is important. Follow-up studies of newly graduated nurses' commitment, its relationship with quality care, managers' role in enhancing commitment and evaluation of the impact of interventions on improving commitment need further studying.
authors.affiliation: Corporate Headquarters, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Numminen
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.|Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Leino-Kilpi
authors.affiliation: Statcon Ltd, Salo, Finland.
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Isoaho
authors.affiliation: Corporate Headquarters, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Helsinki, Finland.|University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meretoja
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D011361:Professional Competence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: job satisfaction; multivariate analysis; newly graduated nurse; nurse turnover; nurse workforce; occupational commitment; professional competence