Parental authority as a mediator between career decision-making self-efficacy, career decision ambiguity tolerance, and career choice of nursing students: A path analysis.

BACKGROUND: Students' decision to pursue a nursing career is influenced by internal (e.g., innate desire, personal experiences) and external variables (e.g., parental influence, social support). However, little is known about how parental authority mediates nursing students' career decision-making self-efficacy, decision-making ambiguity, and nursing as a career choice. PURPOSE: This study examined the influence of parental authority on nursing students' decision to pursue nursing and its mediating effect on the association between career choice, career decision ambiguity, and career decision-making self-efficacy. METHODS: A cross-sectional study that used total enumeration sampling. Four self-report survey instruments were utilized to collect data from nursing students (n = 378) of a state-run university in Saudi Arabia. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient, covariance-based structural equation model, and path analysis. RESULTS: The emerging model showed acceptable model fit indices. The path analysis indicated that parental authority mediated the relationship between career decision-making self-efficacy and nursing career choice. Career decision-making self-efficacy positively and indirectly affected nursing career choice through the mediation of parental authority. Career decision ambiguity tolerance did not directly influence parental authority, but it had a positive, indirect effect through the mediation of career decision-making self-efficacy of nursing students. CONCLUSION: The strong and direct correlation between career decision-making self-efficacy, career decision ambiguity tolerance, and nursing career choice demonstrated in our study indicates that parental authority strongly influences nursing students' career choices. Our study concludes that parental authority over their children is highly predictive of their career choices.

The moderating effect of burnout on professionalism, values and competence of nurses in Saudi Arabia amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: A structural equation modelling approach.

AIM: To examine the moderating effect of burnout on the relationship between nurses' competence, professional competence and professional values. BACKGROUND: There is a preponderance of burnout studies of nurses before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about burnout's moderating influence on nurses' professionalism, competence and values during the ongoing pandemic. METHODS: This study used a correlational, cross-sectional design and convenience sampling to recruit 809 Saudi nurses employed in four government hospitals. Four self-report instruments were used to collect data from August 2021 to March 2022. Spearman Rho, structural equation modelling and multi-group moderation analysis were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Most of the participants had high burnout. There was a moderate to high correlation between the dimensions of professional competence, nurse professional values, burnout and nurse competence. Both professional competence and nurse professional values significantly affected nurse competence. Nurse professional values also had a direct effect on professional competence. Professional competence and nurse professional values on nurse competence may vary among those with low, moderate and high levels of burnout, suggesting the moderating effect of burnout. CONCLUSIONS: The positive impacts of nurse professional values and professional competence on nursing competence were validated in this study, as was the evidence of burnout's moderating effect on the studied connections. To avoid burnout, it is necessary to increase organizational knowledge and support for nurses, their working conditions and the environment through strategies that promote well-being and empowerment. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nurse managers can implement policies to help nurses minimize burnout and improve their professional values and competence. Management policies may be considered include increased staffing, opportunities to improve technical abilities through education and vocational training programs, and increased diversity of job assignments.