Nurses’ professional values and organizational commitment

OBJECTIVES: Both professional values and organizational commitment are strongly affected by variations among individuals. Identifying personal differences and their effects on professional values and organizational commitment is crucial for every hospital setting. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine how differences in demographic characteristics are reflected in professional values and organizational commitment among nurses. METHODS: The study used a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design. Nursing professional values and organizational commitment scales were used to collect the data. The sample consisted of 412 staff nurses recruited through a convenience sampling technique. RESULTS: Nurses' professional values differed according to demographic factors such as experience, department, career choice and having taken an ethics course, whereas no differences associated with education or gender were observed. Nurses’ levels of commitment differed according to their experience, their religion and whether they had taken an ethics course. CONCLUSION: Deeper knowledge regarding the factors affecting nurses’ values and commitment may contribute to redesigning clinical ethics education for nurses and the development of non-traditional retention plans.