Personality as a key to nursing retention: The temperament and character patterns of registered nurses by specialty
Chesanny Butler
University of South Carolina Beaufort, USA
: J Nurs Patient Care
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify congruent areas of clinical practice for graduating nursing students as a first step in potentially influencing job retention and satisfaction within the first year of nursing. A quantitative survey research design was used to analyze individual personality signatures using a cross section of registered nurses from the United States as compared to graduating senior Baccalaureate nursing students from a large Midwest four-year doctoral research (L4/NR, DRU) university. The RN sample was comprised of nine specialties. The student sample was comprised of six specialties and drew from both the traditional and second-degree baccalaureate nursing programs offered within a school of nursing. The target number of participants to obtain a power of 0.05 was obtained for both populations and totaled a final study sample of 815 participants. Two surveys: 1) The TCI-140-R, and 2) demographic questions comprised of variables found to influence personality in the literature, were administered online to participant groups to identify levels of the seven basic dimensions of temperament and character. Univariate analysis made multiple and covariate comparisons between TCI-140-R scores, registered nurse groups by specialty, baccalaureate nursing students, age, gender, race, employment status, program, maturity level, and highest level of nursing education. Significant main effects for age and specialty by group were detected in several Temperament and Character Inventory dimensions. Both registered nurses and Baccalaureate senior nursing students had similar personality patterns by specialty although the specific level of Cooperativeness (caring and compassion) found in each specialty was significantly different.
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