The aim of this study was to evaluate professional socialization of nurses and its association with assurance of practice activity.
Material and methods: The study was carried out in randomly selected Lithuanian health care institutions from January to June 2007. A total of 1300 nurses, enrolled in the study, were divided into three groups according to the position held by participants: general practice nurses, 77.8%; senior nurses and leaders, 10.7%; and 4th-year students of general nurse education program, 11.5%. A questionnaire-based survey was carried out. The data were processed with SPSS 15.0 statistical software. Descriptive and multidimensional statistical methods were applied in the study. The matrix model, integrating characteristics of nurses' professional socialization and dimensions of practice activity and disclosing parameters and indicators of assurance of these processes, was applied for data analysis.
Results: The respondents favorably evaluated the aspects ensuring professional socialization and practice activity such as "professional activity," "motivators of professional activity," "professional characteristic," "system of professional values," and "professional behavior." The respondents unfavorably evaluated the following parameters: "security of professional self-expression and self-education," "professional development," "professional expectations," and "implementation of institution strategies."
Conclusions: For the evaluation of nurses' professional socialization and practice activity, a theoretical model was created, and nine diagnostic criteria, integrating the characteristics of professional socialization and dimensions of practice activity, were formulated. A significant positive correlation was determined among the majority of the diagnostic criteria of the intercorrelation matrix of theoretical model. Having summarized the attitude of nurses toward professional socialization and the provision of practice activity, both favorable and unfavorable aspects of assessment tendencies of these processes were revealed. The study results and nonparametric analysis showed that sociodemographic factors have an impact on nurses' attitudes toward professional socialization and the assurance of practice activity.