[The relationship between professional autonomy and demographic and psychological variables in nursing]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships of professional autonomy in nursing with demographic and psychological variables. The measure of professional autonomy in nursing is constructed by five factors, "Cognition", "Performance", "Concrete judgement", "Abstract judgment" and "Independent judgment", respectively and interpreted to represent the professional work abilities of nursing. Age, years of experience of nursing, arrangement of work place in the hospital, position level and educational background of nursing are selected as demographic variables. Psychological variables used in this study were intention to continue at work as a nurse, work satisfaction and motivation, self confidence and self evaluated aptitude toward nursing. Three-hundred and seventy professional nurses in the public hospital were administered a questionnaire including the five-point scale for professional autonomy in nursing and several demographic and psychological variables. The main results were as follows: (1) Each of the sub-scale scores of professional autonomy in nursing had significant and positive correlations with age, years of experience, work satisfaction and motivation, self confidence and aptitude toward nursing. (2) Nurses worked at the intensive care unit and operation room were significantly higher scores of professional autonomy in nursing than the nurses at the ward and the outpatient clinic. (3) Professional autonomy in nursing was totally increasing with the increase of nurse's position and years of experience. (4) Self confidence, position level and the kind of nursing license were the most explicable variables of professional autonomy in nursing.