Objectives: To identify the job resource beliefs of preregistration dental nurses and subsequently investigate their relationship with work engagement, personal accomplishment and intention to leave amongst this occupational group in Scotland.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Personal accomplishment (a subscale of Maslach Burnout Inventory) and author-developed questions for job resource beliefs and intention to leave were the measuring instruments used.
Results: Two hundred and thirty-one dental nurses participated (82% response rate). Mean age was 25 and mean job tenure was 17.5 months. The job resource belief most valued was 'good working relationship'. A multiple mediated path analytical model was explored. Work engagement adjusted for job resource beliefs was very strongly negatively associated with intention to leave (-0.93). There was an indirect relationship between job resource beliefs and intention to leave (-0.28) mediated via work engagement and personal accomplishment.
Conclusions: Dental nurses under training held job resource beliefs about their profession that were associated with work engagement, personal accomplishment and their stability of remaining in the job.
Keywords: beliefs; dental nurses; intentions to leave; path analysis; registration; work engagement.
© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.