THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FACULTY-TO-FACULTY INCIVILITY, JOB SATISFACTION, AND INTENTION TO LEAVE AMONG NURSING FACULTY IN UNDERGRADUATE NURSING PROGRAMS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

Faculty-to-faculty incivility is a significant issue that can negatively impact nursing education globally. This issue can impair professional relationships among nursing faculty and negatively influence their retention. Uncivil behaviors and interactions among nursing faculty may contribute to low job satisfaction, which in turn, might lead faculty members to leave their academic position or ultimately the profession. This can exacerbate the shortage of nursing faculty, which contributes to an overall nursing shortage.

The purposes of this descriptive cross-sectional, correlational study were to examine the relationship between faculty-to-faculty incivility, job satisfaction, and the intent to leave among nurse faculty in undergraduate nursing programs in Saudi Arabia and to determine whether job satisfaction mediates the relationship between nurse faculty-to-faculty incivility and intent to leave among nurse faculty in Saudi undergraduate nursing schools. The theoretical framework of this study was based on Duffy’s Quality-Caring Model (QCM). A self-administered survey was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 109 nurse faculty working in 15 prelicensure nursing programs across different regions of Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression were performed to analyze data.

The findings revealed that the majority of nurse faculty participants experienced faculty-to-faculty incivility either rarely or occasionally. A statistically significant strong negative relationship was found between faculty-to-faculty incivility and job satisfaction among nurse faculty. The results also demonstrated a statistically significant moderate positive relationship between faculty-to-faculty incivility and intent to leave among nurse faculty. Additionally, a statistically significant strong negative relationship was observed between job satisfaction and intent to leave. Furthermore, job satisfaction was found to have a full mediation effect on the relationship between faculty-to-faculty incivility and the intent to leave among nurse faculty.

The study findings contribute to the literature regarding the relationship between faculty-to-faculty incivility, the intent to leave, and job satisfaction among nursing faculty and address the knowledge gap of faculty-to-faculty incivility among nurse faculty in Saudi Arabia. The findings filled a gap in the literature by identifying the full mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between faculty-to-faculty incivility and intent to leave, explaining the mechanism through which faculty-to-faculty incivility influences intent to leave among nurse faculty.

Using the QCM as the theoretical framework underpinning this study contributes to nursing science, as this framework effectively supported the description of faculty-to-faculty incivility and the explanation of the relationships between faculty-to-faculty incivility, job satisfaction, and intent to leave that align with the study’s findings. Faculty awareness of their own civility may positively influence the preparation of new graduates and their interactions with other healthcare providers. In addition, the findings provide evidence for nursing education administrators to develop interventions that reduce the incidence of incivility, promote job satisfaction among nurse faculty, and enhance their retention.