PREDICTORS OF CAREER COMMITMENT - A TEST OF 3 THEORETICAL-MODELS

This paper reports the results from a study of career commitment among 92 learner nurses during their first year of training at one school of nursing in England. Three competing theoretical approaches to commitment are identified: behavioral, unmet expectations, and social exchange. The effectiveness of potential predictors of career commitment derived from each approach is examined. The nature of the learners' work experience (social exchange approach) influenced career commitment during the latter 8 months of the year. So did unmet expectations about nursing as a career, but only if those expectations had constituted reasons for entering nurse training. The circumstances under which the decision to undertake nurse training was made (behavioral approach) substantially predicted career commitment on Day 1 of training, but had only a weak direct effect thereafter. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications. © 1990.