Future intentions of registered nurses employed in the western new york labor market: relationships among demographic, economic, and attitudinal factors

Demographic, economic, and attitudinal factors may affect the work participation behavior of full and part-time RNs in hospital and non-hospital settings. The sample (N = 776) included randomly selected RNs from the 1997 registration lists of the New York State Department of Professional Licensing. Classical t-tests and chi-square tests were used to test for differences between hospital, non-hospital, full-time and part-time RNs. Only RNs employed in hospital settings were significantly less satisfied and less committed to their organization than were non-hospital based nurses; however these attitudes, frequently shown to be related to turnover behavior, did not result in intentions to leave. Differences in satisfaction and commitment across job settings begin to explain work participation behavior of nurses, as distinct from organizational behavior.