Nursing Staff Perspectives Regarding Career Plateau Management Strategies and its Relation to Job Satisfaction

Background: Career plateau is a significant decisive factor that led to negative work outcomes as decrease in job satisfaction and increase nursing staff turnover intentions when continuing to work in the same job over a long period. Aim: to assess nursing staff perspective regarding career plateau management strategies and their relation to job satisfaction. Subjects and Method: Setting: This study was conducted at Tanta University Main, Emergency, and International Teaching Hospitals. Subjects: consisted of a representative sample (n= 263) of Baccalaureate nursing staff who have more than three years of experience. Tools: two tools were used. Nurses’ career plateau management structured questionnaire and nursing staff satisfaction structured questionnaire. Results: 63% of nursing staff had moderate and high levels of career plateau. 65.0% of nursing staff had moderate double plateau. 46.4% and 43.0% of them had moderate content and structural plateau respectively and 41.1% of them had low professional plateau. 55.5% of nursing staff had high defense, 53.2% of them had moderate reevaluation management strategy and 53.2%of them had low transition management strategy.81.7% of nursing staff were unsatisfied with their job. Conclusions: There were no statistically significant difference among Main, Emergency, and international Teaching Hospitals according to levels of career plateau. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between total nursing staff career plateau and their total job satisfaction. Recommendations: Be on the lookout for early signs of plateauing and take preventive measures such as upgrading skills, diversifying interests, and making long-term career plans. Develop a clear job description and road map for career advancement of nursing staff to reduce career plateauing