Nursing profession: identity’s transitions and job satisfaction

Journal title PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE
Author/s Giuseppe Marletta, Luca Caricati, Tiziana Mancini, Rachele La Sala, Giulia Pelosi, Monica Ampollini, Anna Fabbri, Anna Ricchi, Marcello Scardino, Giovanna Artioli, Leopoldo Sarli
Publishing Year 2014 Issue 2014/2 Language Italian
Pages 19 P. 139-157 File size 176 KB
DOI 10.3280/PDS2014-002009
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

According to the Marcia’s theory of identity states, this work aims at analyze the processes of definition and transition of professional identity of a group of nurses from Emilia Romagna, studying the connection between professional identity and both organizational variables, such as the perception of regulatory changes, and working motivations and job satisfaction. Through a cross-sectional study, questionnaire was distributed to 838 nurses working in five different public hospitals. The questionnaire measured: 1) professional identity statuses, 2) working motivations, 3) job satisfaction, 4) perception of the importance of the regulatory changes. Results indicate that nurses with identity achievement status have higher job satisfaction, higher motivation and perceive regulatory changes as more important than other nurses. Results suggest that health care organizations should promote educational programs that are oriented to improve, along with professional knowledge and knowhow, also professionals’ awareness about "how to be" nurses.

Keywords: Professional identity, nursing, job satisfaction, motivation.

  1. Aiken L., Smith H. and Lake E. (1994). Lower Medicare mortality among a set of hospitals known for good nursing care. Medical Care, 32 (8): 771-787. DOI: 10.1097/00005650-199408000-0000
  2. Avallone F. (1998). La formazione psicosociale [The psychosocial training]. Roma: Carocci.
  3. Boyle G.J. (1991). Does item homogeneity indicate internal consistency or item redundancy in psychometric scales? Personality and Individual Differences, 12 (3): 291-294. DOI: 10.1016/0191-8869(91)90115-
  4. Brekke K. and Nyborg K. (2010). Selfish Bakers, Caring Nurses? A Model of Work Motivation. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 75: 377-394. DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2010.05.00
  5. Kline P. (1986). A Handbook of Test Construction: Introduction to Psychometric Design. New York: Methuen.
  6. Kline R.B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford.
  7. Mancini T. (2010). Psicologia dell’identità [Psychology of identity]. Bologna: Il Mulino.
  8. Capone V., Petrillo G. e Romano A. (2013). La soddisfazione lavorativa e per la vita di medici e infermieri ospedalieri: relazioni con il senso di appartenenza all’azienda ospedaliera, le percezioni di efficacia collettiva e il sostegno sociale percepito [Job and life satisfaction among doctors and nurses: Relationship with sense of belonging to the hospital, collective efficacy beliefs and perceived social support]. Psicologia della Salute, 3:115-130. DOI: 10.3280/PDS2013-00300
  9. Caricati L., La Sala R., Marletta G., Pelosi G., Ampollini M., Fabbri A., Ricchi A., Scardino M., Artioli
  10. G. and Mancini T. (2013). Work climate, work values and professional commitment as predictors of job satisfaction in nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, DOI: 10.1111/jonm.1207
  11. Cavanagh S. (1992). Job satisfaction of nursing staff working in hospitals. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 17: 704-711. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.1992.tb01968.
  12. Cortese C. (2007). Job satisfaction of Italian nurses: an exploratory study. Journal of Nursing Management, 15 (3): 303-312. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2007.00694.
  13. Crocetti E., Avanzi L., Hawk S.T., Fraccaroli F. and Meeus W. (2013). Personal and Social Facets of Job Identity: A Person-Centered Approach. Journal of Business and Psychology. DOI: 10.1007/S10869-013-9313-
  14. Crocetti E., Rubini M. and Meeus W. (2008). Capturing the dynamics of identity formation in various ethnic groups: Development and validation of a three-dimensional model. Journal of Adolescence, 31 (2): 207-222. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2007.09.00
  15. Crocetti E., Schwartz S., Fermani A. and Meeus W. (2010). The Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS): Italian validation and cross-national comparisons. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 26 (3): 172-186. DOI: 10.1027/1015-5759/a00002
  16. Dolan L. (2003). Management style and staff nurse satisfaction. Dimentions of Critical Care Nursing, 22 (2): 97-98. DOI: 10.1097/00003465-200303000-0001
  17. Elias R. (2006). The impact of professional commitment and anticipatory socialization on accounting students ethical orientation. Journal of Business Ethics, 8 (1): 83-90. DOI: 10.1007/s10551-006-9041-
  18. Fako T. (2000). Job satisfaction among nurses in Botswana. Society in Transition, 31 (1): 10-21. DOI: 10.1080/21528586.2000.1041900
  19. Griffeth R., Hom P. and Gaertner S. (2000). A meta-analysis of antecedents and correlates of employee turnover: Update, moderator tests, and research implications for the next millennium. Journal of Management, 26 (3): 463-479. DOI: 10.1016/S0149-2063(00)00043-XGunnerVaughnR.(2003).Simplestepstosatisfaction.NursingManagement,34(5):20-23.DOI:10.1097/00006247-200305000-0000
  20. Hackett R. and Guion R. (1985). A re-evaluation of the absenteeism-job satisfaction relationship. Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 35: 340-81. DOI: 10.1016/0749-5978(85)90028-
  21. Higgs J. and Titchen A. (2001). Professional practice in health, education and the creative arts. Oxford: Blackwell Science.
  22. Hotta K., Okuno J., Tomura S. and Yanagi H. (2009). Determinant factors encouraging work motivation: a study of care staff working in health services facilities for elderly people. Japanese Journal of Public Health (Nippon Koshu Eisei Zasshi), 56 (12): 863-874.
  23. Judge J., Bono C., Thoresen C. and Patton G. (2001). The job satisfaction-job performance relationship: A qualitative and quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin, 127: 376-407. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.127.3.37
  24. Keepnews D., Brewer C., Kovner C. and Shin J. (2010). Generational differences among newly licensed registered nurses. Nursing Outlook, 58 (3): 155-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.outlook.2009.11.00
  25. Mancini T. e Tonarelli A. (2013). Processi di costruzione dell’identità professionale in studenti universitari. Una estensione del paradigma degli stati d’identità [Processes of construction of professional identity in university students. An extension of the paradigm of the states of identity]. Giornale Italiano di Psicologia, 3, 589-614. DOI: 10.1421/76217
  26. Marcia J. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3 (5): 551-558. DOI: 10.1037/h002328
  27. Marcia J., Waterman A., Matteson D., Archer S. and Orlofsky J. (1993). Ego Identity status. A handbook for psychosocial research. New York: Spirnger-Verlag.
  28. Ministero della Salute (2013). Esiti applicazione metodologia di cui alla Delibera del Consiglio dei Ministri dell’11 dicembre 2012. Retrived from: http://www.sanita.ilsole24ore.come/pdf2010/Sanita 2/_Oggetti_Correlati/Documenti/Dal-Governo/benchmark_doc.pdf
  29. Miracle V. and Miracle J. (2004). The nursing shortage. Critical Nursing Care, 23 (5): 236-237. DOI: 10.1097/00003465-200409000-0001
  30. Mueller C. and McCloskey J. (1990). Nurses’ job satisfaction: a proposed measure. Nursing Research, 39 (2): 113-117. DOI: 10.1097/00006199-199003000-0001
  31. Norrish B. and Rundall T. (2001). Hospital Restructuring and the Work of Registered Nurses. Milbank Quarterly, 79 (1): 55-79. DOI: 10.1111/1468-0009.0019
  32. Ostroff C. (1992). The relationship between satisfaction, attitudes, and performance: An organizational level analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77 (6): 963-974. DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.77.6.96
  33. Podsakoff P., MacKenzie S., Lee J. and Podsakoff N. (2003). Common Method Biases in Behavioral Research: A Critical Review of the Literature and Recommended Remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88 (5): 879-903. DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.87
  34. Sacchetti P. e Mancini T. (2004). Bisogni formativi e identità professionale tra gli infermieri dell’Asl di Cesena [Trainig needs and professional identity among nurses of the Asl of Cesena]. I saperi della formazione nei contesti della salute, Servizio Sanitario Regionale Emilia-Romagna [The knowledge of education in the contest of health, Regional Health Service of Emilia-Romagna]. Bologna.
  35. Shields M. and Ward M. (2001). Improving nurse retention in the National Health Service in England: the impact of job satisfaction on intentions to quit. Journal of Health Economics, 20 (5): 677-701. DOI: 10.1016/S0167-6296(01)00092-
  36. Stewart S. (1993). Ego identity status in nurses. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Claremont Graduate School.
  37. Taddia P., Chiari P., Calanchi S., Martinelli B., Biavati C., Ruffini B., Mosci D., Chiarelli P., Fontana S., D’Ercole F., Tartari P., Parma D., Robb M.C., Sansolino S. e Farinella P. (2007). Valutazione della soddisfazione per l’organizzazione basata sulla valorizzazione di posizioni funzionali, tra gli infermieri del Policlinico S. Orsola-Malpighi [The assessment of nurses satisfaction for an organization that values posts and professional responsibilities]. Assistenza Infermieristica e Ricerca, 26 (4): 210-218. DOI: 10.1702/312.371

  • The role of group identification, self‐ and collective efficacy on secondary traumatic stress and general health in a sample of emergency medical service volunteers Luca Caricati, Martina De vito, Chiara Panari, in Journal of Applied Social Psychology /2023 pp.373
    DOI: 10.1111/jasp.12946
  • Attitudes towards Interprofessional Education among Medical and Nursing Students: the Role of Professional Identification and Intergroup Contact Alfonso Sollami, Luca Caricati, Tiziana Mancini, in Current Psychology /2018 pp.905
    DOI: 10.1007/s12144-017-9575-y
  • Group identification and self‐efficacy associated with quality of life in emergency medical services volunteers: A cross‐sectional investigation Luca Caricati, Chiara Panari, Marta Melleri, in Journal of Applied Social Psychology /2020 pp.476
    DOI: 10.1111/jasp.12675

Giuseppe Marletta, Luca Caricati, Tiziana Mancini, Rachele La Sala, Giulia Pelosi, Monica Ampollini, Anna Fabbri, Anna Ricchi, Marcello Scardino, Giovanna Artioli, Leopoldo Sarli, Professione infermieristica: stati dell’identità e soddisfazione lavorativa in "PSICOLOGIA DELLA SALUTE" 2/2014, pp 139-157, DOI: 10.3280/PDS2014-002009