The impact of proactive personality and clinical learning environment on nursing college students’ perceived employability

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the relationships between proactive personality, clinical learning environment, career adaptability and self-perceived employability in nursing college students based on the career construction model. DesignThe study employed a cross-sectional research design. Participants and methodsA purposive and convenience sampling of 405 final year nursing college students were invited to finish online survey. Structural equation modeling has been utilized to perform the measurement and structural model assessment and bootstrapping approach is employed to perform the mediation test. ResultsStudents’ proactive personality was positively related to their career adaptability (Beta=0.45, p < 0.001), and self-perceived employability (Beta=0.26, p < 0.001), clinical learning environment was positively related to career adaptability (Beta=0.14, p < 0.1) and self-perceived employability (Beta=0.43, p < 0.001), career adaptability was positively related to self-perceived employability (Beta=0.33, p < 0.001). Moreover, career adaptability significantly mediated the relationship between proactive personality and perceived employability, but it failed to mediate the relationship between clinical learning environment and perceived employability. ConclusionsFor nursing college students, both clinical learning environment and proactive personality had a positive impact on their self-perceived employability, and career adaptability also mediated the relationship between proactive personality and perceived employability. Appropriate interventions may be implemented to enhance nursing college students’ perceived employability.