Class 9 Eley, Eley, Bertello, & Rogers-Clark (2012). Why did I become a nurse? Personality traits and reasons for entering nursing. Flashcards
Problem
Purpose?
Problem:
Worldwide shortage of nurses
Purpose:
To explore why individuals enter nursing (personality traits) and may assist in exploring ways to increase their recruitment and long term retention.
Background identifies what
- identifies what tool
- Draws the association between what characteristics and traits
Identifies psychobiological model of personality traits as the theoretical framework
Identifies the personality tool used in the larger study (TCI-R 140) to identify two primary aspects of personality: temperament and character (quantitative component)
Draws the association between hereditary characteristics and socio-cultural learning traits of nurses and their reasons for entering nursing (qualitative component)
What is the research questions
-What does the literature review support
The research question is clearly stated
- are the profiles of individuals enter nursing congruent with the general personality traits of a nurse?
- the literature review (introduction and background) supports the research question and use of a mixed method design to link personal perspectives on why nurses select nursing as their profession and their personality trait profile
Background (Literature Review) 8
- “Caring Profession”
- Vocation,
- Rewarding career
- Stepping stone to another career
- Career security
- Previous work or socialization experiences
- Job satisfaction and,
- The presentation of nurses in the media
Design
- when is it identified
- what is the design
- what components are identified
Eley et al. (2012) clearly identify their design in the abstract and again under a separate design heading.
Sequential Explanatory Mixed Method Design
The quantitative and qualitative components are clearly identified (qualitative findings were used to help explain the quantitative results)
- Quantitative: online questionnaire
- Qualitative: semi-structured interviews
Details on when the data sources are combined is provided (interpretation and analysis)
Sample
- How did they select the sample
- how many participated
A purposeful sample of current nursing students and RNs in Australia who had previously completed a online questionnaire in a previous 2009 study by the researcher.
-The participants had self-identified as those interested in a follow-up interview.
An initial sample size of 45 participants was considered for the qualitative component of the study.
- 34 consented to interviews
- Data collection stopped when data saturation occurred with 23 participant interviews
- 11 students (20-40yrs) and 12 nurses(40-49yrs)
Data Collection
How did data collection happen for qual and quan
-What is the Cronbach alpha for character and temperament
Quant: demographic details and the TCI-R 140 personality trait tool
- details on its validity and reliability were provided
- Readers are referred to the primary study by Eley et al. (2010b) for more details
Qual: Recorded semi-structured interviews lasting 20-40 minutes
Cronbach alpha –0.86 -0.89 for character and 0.76 -0.91 for temperament scales; normally distributed
Sufficient details were provided
Ethical Considerations 4
- Approval from the two universities and the health service involved in the study
- Participant information sheet and assurance of confidentiality
- Written consent for interviews
- Option to withdraw without penalty
Data Analysis
quan 2
qual 2
Analysis @ 50% and 100%
Quant:
- SPSS 14 was used for analysis
- Chi square analysis; t-tests, two way analysis, Cronbach alpha; tests of normality
Qual:
- transcribed interviews were thematically analysis using Pope et al.’s framework
- Inter-coder reliability was checked among coders
Results
quant 2
qual 2
Quant:
- results are summarized using a table format
- Readers should refer the larger study for more in-depth details
Qual:
-two dominant themes were identified
- Opportunity for caring
- Nursing is my calling
- Interview responses used to support thematic process and the personality trait tool
No differences were noted between students and nurses on the TCI subscales scores
Combining Results in Mixed Methods 2
As stated in the research design the researchers merged the data sources during the interpretation and analysis
No comments on the trustworthiness (credibility, auditablity, and fittingness) of data, no comments on member checking
Traits identified in the personality tool as being characteristic of nurses were integrated with quotations from the qualitative interviews
An open-ended interview question on ‘what types of people make the best nurses’ did not support the perception of a ‘specific nursing personality type’
Discussion 4
Limitations
comment?
- Identified limitations of the current study
- Acknowledged where further research is needed
- Summarized the integration of qual results with the traits identified in the quant tool
- -Reward dependence, cooperative, self transcendence, and novelty seeking
- Linked the results to previous work done by this researcher
Limitations:
- self –selecting sample
- geographical confines
- one point in time measurement
- unclear as to personality trait or environmental influence (multi-factor influences)
comment: all sorts of personalities make a good nurse and desire to care is an important trait
Conclusion
- was the study answered
- author suggests?
- personality profile used for what
This study did answer the research question presented in the aims section
The author suggests that by developing a personality profile for nurses it will be helpful in recruiting future nursing students and in developing strategies to address retention.
The personality profile can also be used to inform policy at the global level to address the nursing shortage.
