Role Behaviors of Nurse Managers in Postgraduate Education for Newly-graduated Nurses: An Investigation of Construct Concepts (A Pilot Study)

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a scale for assessing the role behaviors of nurse managers in postgraduate education for newly-graduated nurses and investigate its reliability and validity. An initial scale composed of 37 items was developed based on published papers. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to nurse managers (N=107) who worked at university or general hospitals with over 500 beds in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions and were accepting newly-graduated nurses in his/her ward. Principal factor analysis (promax rotation) was performed to verify the construct validity, determine the factor structure, and compare the factor structure with the initial structure set. The following six factors (comprising 23 items; cumulative contribution ratio, 57.5%) of role behaviors of nurse managers for newly-graduated nurses were identified: "maintenance of an educational system"; "mental health support"; "support for developing as a nurse"; "support for gaining confidence"; "fostering of work environment"; and "instructor selection". Regarding reliability, Cronbach's alpha was 0.84 for the entire scale, and ranged from 0.79 to 0.84 for each factor, which demonstrates internal consistency. Significant positive correlations were observed between each factor on this scale and the Role Behavior of Nurse Managers in Preceptorships scale (r=0.26~0.67, p<0.001), except for 3 factors that did not show correlations with "instructor selection" (r=0.13~0.16). The initial construct concepts were mostly consistent with the factors of the created scale, needed to be reinforced construct validity.