A SURVEY OF STAFF NURSE PERCEPTIONS OF PROPOSED OUTCOMES OF CLINICAL LADDER PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEMS (JOB SATISFACTION, COMMITMENT, CONTINUING EDUCATION, PRODUCTIVITY).
Contributors: University Of Illinois At Chicago, Health Sciences Center.
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 154
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Psychology, Industrial.
Description: Clinical ladder performance appraisal systems have been recommended to nursing service administrators as a means of recruiting and retaining nurses by providing recognition and status. A clinical ladder performance appraisal system is a set of behavioral criteria organized into levels; each successive level specifies an increase in proficiency in clinical nursing.

A theoretical model was developed to explain the impact of clinical ladders on staff nurses' perceptions. Fifteen research hypotheses inherent in the model were tested to answer the following question: Do nurses who work in an organization with a clinical ladder performance appraisal system perceive higher levels of performance feedback, continuing education in nursing, job satisfaction, professional achievement, and commitment when compared with nurses who work under more traditional forms of performance appraisal?.

A survey was done to determine the impact of a work environment structured by a clinical ladder. All medical and surgical staff nurses working in three large metropolitan teaching hospitals were given questionnaires. Two of the hospitals had clinical ladders, one did not. Two follow-ups of nonrespondents yielded an 83 percent response rate, providing a sample of 671 staff nurses. Chi square and ANOVAs demonstrated that there were differences among the groups of nurses on some personal and organizational variables, but not on the variables age, sex, and experience.

Regression analyses demonstrated little support for the hypothesis that nurses working in an environment structured by the clinical ladder performance appraisal system perceive more performance feedback, continuing education involvement, job satisfaction, professional achievement, and commitment than nurses working under a more traditional performance appraisal system. However, clinical ladders are perceived determinants of the productivity component of professional achievement. Use of a longitudinal design, further refinement of certain questionnaire subscales, and use of objective measures in conjunction with the questionnaire are suggested for future research efforts.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-07, Section: B, page: 2837.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, 1986.

School code: 0806.