This thesis examines the association between initial duty station assignment and retention of Nurse Corps officers. The main hypothesis of the thesis is that due to the increased clinical opportunities, higher patient acuity and larger patient census in major medical centers, Nurse Corps officers receive to more education and training prospects, which makes them more clinically prepared with higher job satisfaction. In nursing research, clinical preparedness and job satisfaction are both linked positively with retention. Using qualitative techniques to analyze the professional nursing literature and interview with military and civilian hospital administrators, comparing and contrasting Nurse Intern Programs at three Navy major medical centers, two Navy mid-level hospitals and four civilian facilities, and the quantitative technique of a multivariate model to analyze cohort data for new nurse accessions from 1994-1998, the author compares Nurse Intern Programs and isolates the effect of Military Treatment Facility assignment on retention. The results indicate there is no Navy-wide standardized education program for new nurses, potentially negatively affecting overall medical readiness, and that assignment at a major Military Treatment Facility is not a statistically significant predictor of retention. Further analysis of Nurse Intern programs is necessary to establish the effectiveness of the programs.
http://archive.org/details/annalysisoffirst109455408
US Navy (USN) author
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