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

Area of Science:

• Nursing Workforce Stability
• Surgical Nursing
• Career Development

Background:

• Career plateau negatively impacts nursing workforce stability, affecting performance, commitment, and turnover.
• Surgical nurses are particularly vulnerable due to demanding work environments.
• Limited evidence exists on career plateau in surgical nurses and related factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• Examine career plateau in surgical nurses using Bandura's triadic reciprocal determinism.
• Investigate relationships between career plateau and self-efficacy, family functioning, organizational support, and career planning.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study of 468 surgical nurses in China (September-November 2025).
• Online survey data collection.
• Dominance and psychometric network analyses were employed.

Main Results:

• Career planning showed the strongest negative association with career plateau.
• Affection was the most central node in the network analysis.
• Hierarchical plateau negatively correlated with goal setting; content plateau with self-presentation. Organizational support positively correlated with plateau.

Conclusions:

• Career planning is the most significant correlate of overall career plateau.
• Affection plays a central role in the network structure of career plateau.
• Addressing career plateau requires enhanced career planning and supportive family/organizational conditions.