Commitment, job satisfaction and personality: A cross sectional study of generational cohorts in nursing students

Background: The current domestic nursing workforce is the most generational diversity in history with a wide range of life experiences.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate generational differences in organizational commitment, job satisfaction and personality traits in a sample of nursing students preparing for the workforce.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used data collected from pre-licensure final semester nursing students and degree completion students (n = 313) from three different schools about job satisfaction, personality traits and organizational commitment.

Results: Findings showed the scores between the generations were not significantly different for job satisfaction (p = 0.86) and organizational commitment (p = 0.40). Significant differences were found between the generations for the personality measures of agreeableness (p = 0.02), conscientiousness (p = 0.01), and emotional stability (p = 0.00).

Discussion/conclusions: Understanding generational differences in nursing students entering the workforce can serve academia and practice partners to focus curriculum and resources appropriately to prepare the next generation of nurses for the challenges in a time of crisis.