Career aspirations to higher leadership positions of nurse faculty middle managers

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of nurse faculty who worked full time in midlevel management positions in baccalaureate degree schools of nursing in order to identify those factors related to career aspirations to higher leadership positions such as deanship. Thirty-seven nurse midmanagers from 30 of the 40 baccalaureate degree schools of nursing in the Midwest completed the three-part questionnaire composed of a demographic profile, Johnson's Faculty Satisfaction Instrument, and Guilbert's Health Care Work Powerlessness Scale (revised). Selected results of this study indicated that the majority of nurse faculty middle managers did not view their current position as a career step to deanship (56.76 per cent) nor did they have career aspirations to a higher leadership position (62.16 per cent). The primary reason reported for this lack of career aspiration was family responsibilities. They did not perceive powerlessness or job satisfaction (P < .05) as an issue in their decision. Career aspirations to a higher leadership position was reported greater when the salary was higher and the perception was stronger that the current position was a career step to deanship (P < .05). They reported the lowest degrees of job satisfaction in reference to parking (SD = 1.79) and leadership of the dean (SD = 1.61).