Aims and objectives. To explore newly graduated nurses’ occupational commitment

and its associations with their self-assessed professional competence and

other work-related factors.

Background. As a factor affecting nurse turnover, newly graduated nurses’ occupational

commitment and its associations with work-related factors needs exploring

to retain adequate workforce. Nurses’ commitment has mainly been studied

as organisational commitment, but newly graduated nurses’ occupational commitment

and its association with work-related factors needs further studying.

Design. This study used descriptive, cross-sectional, correlation design.

Methods. A convenience sample of 318 newly graduated nurses in Finland participated

responding to an electronic questionnaire. Statistical software, NCSS version

9, was used in data analysis. Frequencies, percentages, ranges, means and standard

deviations summarised the data. Multivariate Analyses of Variance estimated

associations between occupational commitment and work-related variables. IBM

SPSS AMOS version 22 estimated the model fit of Occupational Commitment Scale

and Nurse Competence Scale.

Results. Newly graduated nurses’ occupational commitment was good, affective

commitment reaching the highest mean score. There was a significant difference

between the nurse groups in favour of nurses at higher competence levels in all

subscales except in limited alternatives occupational commitment. Multivariate

analyses revealed significant associations between subscales of commitment and

competence, turnover intentions, job satisfaction, earlier professional education

and work sector, competence counting only through affective dimension.

Conclusion. The association between occupational commitment and low turnover

intentions and satisfaction with nursing occupation was strong. Higher general

competence indicated higher overall occupational commitment.

Relevance to clinical practice. Managers’ recognition of the influence of all

dimensions of occupational commitment in newly graduated nurses’ professional

development is important. Follow-up studies of newly graduated nurses’ commitment,

its relationship with quality care, managers’ role in enhancing commitment

and evaluation of the impact of interventions on improving commitment need further

studying.