Career Plateau Among Surgical Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Network Analysis

Career plateau is increasingly recognized as a threat to nursing workforce stability because it is associated with poorer work performance, lower organizational commitment, and higher turnover intention. Surgical nurses may be especially vulnerable given their highly structured and technically demanding work context. However, evidence remains limited on how career plateau is configured in this group and how relevant factors are interrelated.

Based on Bandura's triadic reciprocal determinism, this study examined career plateau among surgical nurses and its relationships with self-efficacy as an individual factor, family functioning and perceived organizational support as environmental factors, and career planning as a behavioral factor.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 468 surgical nurses from three hospitals in Hubei Province, China, between September and November 2025. Data were collected through an online survey. Dominance analysis was used to compare the relative contribution of study variables to overall career plateau, and psychometric network analysis was used to examine subdimension-level relationships.

Career planning was negatively associated with career plateau and showed the largest relative contribution to overall career plateau. In the network, affection emerged as the most central node. Strong negative associations were observed between hierarchical plateau and goal setting and between content plateau and self-presentation, whereas emotional support and instrumental organizational support were strongly positively associated.

Career planning appears to be the most important broad correlate of overall career plateau, whereas affection occupies a central position within the network structure. Reducing career plateau in surgical nurses may therefore require not only stronger career planning but also family and organizational conditions that make such planning realistic and sustainable.

Nurse managers should prioritize structured career planning for surgical nurses and foster family-sensitive organizational conditions that make career development more feasible and sustainable. Particular attention should be given to mentoring, realistic advancement opportunities, and work arrangements that reduce conflict between career goals and family demands.