Study of Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs): Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction and Intent to Remain in the Army Medical Department

摘要

The purposes of this study were to: (1) identify major tasks and responsibilities of advanced practice nurses (APNs) assigned in Army Medical Department (AMEDD) facilities, (2) determine APNs' job satisfaction and intention to remain in the AMEDD, and (3) examine relationships between job satisfaction (to include subscales of satisfaction with clinical time available, quality of care provided, rewards, support staff, personal time available, and overall satisfaction), autonomy, collaboration, and intent to remain in the AMEDD. The sample consisted of 85 APNs in six AMEDD facilities, representing the categories of certified registered nurse anesthetist, nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, and community health nurse. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, measures of central tendency, and correlations) and inferential statistics (using linear regression) were used in the analysis. The majority of respondents indicated an intent to remain in the AMEDD and most were moderately satisfied with the APN role in the AMEDD. Reward was found to be the most statistically significant predictor of intent to remain, although there were positive correlations between intent to remain and the predictor variables of overall satisfaction, support staff, and clinical time. Satisfaction with quality of care and autonomy were significant predictors of overall satisfaction. These findings and their potential utilization are discussed and recommendations are made for future research.