ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the levels of customer orientation in nurses whose work experience was between 1 and 5 years and to examine factors associated with customer orientation and nursing productivity. METHODS: For this descriptive correlational study, nurses (N=164) were recruited from a University Hospital in B city, from November 1 to 23, 2012. Questionnaires included measures of customer orientation, nursing productivity, organizational commitment, job stress, and turnover intention. Data were analysed with the SPSS/WIN 18.0 program using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 25 years, 96% were single, and 54.9% had a bachelor degree. Organizational commitment (beta=.387) and job stress (beta=.280) significantly explained the variance in customer orientation (R2=15.8). Customer orientation (beta=.479), education level (beta=.196), and turnover intention (beta=-.184) significantly explained the variance in nursing productivity (R2=35.3). Customer orientation was the most important factor in explaining the variance in the nursing productivity. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the relationship between customer orientation and nursing productivity. Improving the customer orientation could result in increasing nursing productivity. Future managerial intervention to improve customer orientation is warranted.