OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop a career-orientation scale for public health nurses (PHNs) working in local government agencies in Japan, and to examine the relationships of the scale with PHNs' demographic characteristics. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to 7,170 PHNs in 10 prefectures. Items for the scale were determined by conducting a principal factor analysis using varimax rotation. Reliability was examined by calculating a cumulative contribution ratio and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient. A second survey was performed with participants who had given the relevant consent. RESULTS: For the first questionnaire, we received replies from 2,065 PHNs (28.8%), of whom 2,003 (97.0%) provided valid responses. For the second questionnaire, we received valid responses from 222 out of the 252 participants. Five orientation factors were selected, managerial, engagement, service, professional, and stability, along with 19 items. The cumulative contribution ratio was 46.9% and the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.863. The average exact match ratio for the responses from the first and second questionnaires was 59.7% (each item; 47.7-72.10%, each participant; 12.0-92.0%). Multiple regression analysis extracted the following four autonomous variables: experience of start-up of organization-making, presence of a role model, cooperative family, and years of experience as PHN (R2 = 0.052). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the number of factors and items in our scale was appropriate for simple self-assessment. High values for factor loadings and reliability coefficients indicate a high intrinsic consistency. However, reproducibility requires further investigation, because the average exact match ratio of each participant greatly varied from individual to individual.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop a career-orientation scale for public health nurses (PHNs) working in local government agencies in Japan, and to examine the relationships of the scale with PHNs' demographic characteristics. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to 7,170 PHNs in 10 prefectures. Items for the scale were determined by conducting a principal factor analysis using varimax rotation. Reliability was examined by calculating a cumulative contribution ratio and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient. A second survey was performed with participants who had given the relevant consent. RESULTS: For the first questionnaire, we received replies from 2,065 PHNs (28.8%), of whom 2,003 (97.0%) provided valid responses. For the second questionnaire, we received valid responses from 222 out of the 252 participants. Five orientation factors were selected, managerial, engagement, service, professional, and stability, along with 19 items. The cumulative contribution ratio was 46.9% and the Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient was 0.863. The average exact match ratio for the responses from the first and second questionnaires was 59.7% (each item; 47.7-72.10%, each participant; 12.0-92.0%). Multiple regression analysis extracted the following four autonomous variables: experience of start-up of organization-making, presence of a role model, cooperative family, and years of experience as PHN (R2 = 0.052). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the number of factors and items in our scale was appropriate for simple self-assessment. High values for factor loadings and reliability coefficients indicate a high intrinsic consistency. However, reproducibility requires further investigation, because the average exact match ratio of each participant greatly varied from individual to individual.