Demographics Table

Table 1. Characteristics of the Participants (n = 123)
n %
Gender

Female 108 87.8
Male 15 12.2
Race/Ethnicity

Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 10.6
Black/African American 17 13.8
Hispanic/Latino 21 17.1
White (not Hispanic) 68 55.3
Other 3 2.4
Undisclosed 1 0.8
Highest Nursing Education

Associate Degree 22 17.9
Bachelors Degree 91 74.0
Masters Degree 8 6.5
Undisclosed 2 1.6
Years as a Registered Nurse

0 to 6 months 22 17.9
7 months to 12 months 21 17.1
18 months to 23 months 14 11.4
24 months to 36 months 63 51.2
Undisclosed 3 2.4
Years in your current department

0 to 6 months 30 24.4
7 months to 12 months 27 22.0
13 months to 17 months 11 8.9
18 months to 23 months 10 8.1
24 months to 35 months (2 years) 44 35.8
Undisclosed 1 0.8
Specialty

Medical Surgical 28 22.8
Intermediate Care/Telemetry 26 21.1
Critical Care 14 11.4
Emergency Department 13 10.6
Perioperative Areas 5 4.1
Maternal-Child Unit 5 4.1
Psychiatric Unit 5 4.1
JRI 4 3.3
Other 23 18.7
Number of months on Orientation

Less than 3 months 30 24.4
3 to 4 months 61 49.6
5 to 6 months 26 21.1
7 or more months 5 4.1
Undisclosed 1 0.8
Employment Status

Full Time 111 90.2
Part Time 10 8.1
Per Diem 1 0.8
Undisclosed 1 0.8
Intend to work for the next year?

Yes 103 83.7
No 20 16.3
If not, please tell me why

Leaving Nursing 1 0.8
Moving to a specialty unit 7 5.7
Moving/Relocating 4 3.3
Staffing 2 1.6
Work Environment 3 2.4
Other 3 2.4
Not Applicable 64 52.0
Undisclosed 39 31.7

All the groups, counts and percentages are consistent with the initial analysis.

Comparison of Nurses with Different Experiences

Table 2. Staff Perception of the Professional Practice Environment Survey Comparing Two Groups (n = 123)
Subscales Group 1 (0 to 12 months of experience) n=46 Mean (SD) Group 2 (18 to 36 months of experience) n=77 Mean (SD) t-test p value
Supportive Leadership 5.05 (1.02) 4.79 (1.11) .210
Autonomy & Control over Practice 4.82 (0.84) 4.51 (1.03) .095
Teamwork 5.42 (0.64) 5.25 (0.74) .183
Communication About Patients 5.17 (0.71) 4.77 (0.98) .015*
Cultural Sensitivity 5.47 (0.64) 5.24 (0.71) .083
Handling Disagreement and Conflict 4.40 (0.59) 4.23 (0.64) .151
Sufficient Staff, Time, and Resources for Quality Patient Care 4.07 (1.35) 3.83 (1.40) .349
Work Motivation 5.43 (0.73) 5.07 (0.88) .019*
Staff Relationships with Physicians, Staff, and Hospital Groups 4.11 (0.92) 4.08 (0.83) .844
p < .05

Comparing to the original analysis, some groups showed a slight difference. The mean and SD of cultural sensitivity, handling disagreement ans conflict and staff relationship with physicians, staff and hospital groups have shown differece by 0.01.

Subgroup Analysis

For each PPWEI subscale, we compared mean subscale scores across demographic categories. When a demographic variable had two groups, we used a two-sample t-test assuming equal variances and when it had three or more groups, we used a one-way ANOVA to test for any difference in means across categories.

Supportive Leadership

Supportive Leadership
Predictor Category n Mean (SD) Overall p
Generation Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 18 5.24 (1.27) .124
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 41 5.01 (0.73)
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28) 64 4.71 (1.19)
Gender Female 108 4.89 (1.04) .876
Male/Undisclosed 15 4.85 (1.40)
Race/Ethnicity Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 4.46 (0.91) .477
Black/African American 17 5.12 (0.83)
Hispanic/Latino 21 5.08 (0.95)
White (not Hispanic) 68 4.86 (1.22)
Other/Undisclosed 4 4.80 (0.48)
Highest Nursing Education Associate Degree 22 4.81 (1.11) .933
Bachelors Degree 91 4.90 (1.10)
Masters Degree/Undisclosed 10 4.90 (0.94)
Specialty Medical Surgical 28 5.30 (0.84) .044
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 26 4.93 (0.91)
Critical Care 14 4.47 (1.06)
Emergency Department 13 5.31 (0.69)
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 19 4.63 (1.23)
Other/Undisclosed 23 4.56 (1.39)

For the Supportive Leadership subscale, mean scores differed modestly across most demographic categories. Supportive Leadership was not significantly different by generation (p = .124), with the highest mean in Generation X/Undisclosed (5.24) and the lowest in Generation Z (4.71). Scores were also similar by gender (Female 4.89 vs Male/Undisclosed 4.85; p = .876), race/ethnicity (p = .477), and highest nursing education (p = .933). In contrast, specialty was associated with Supportive Leadership (overall p = .044): mean scores were highest in Emergency Department (5.31) and Medical Surgical (5.30) and lower in Critical Care (4.47), with intermediate values in the remaining specialty groupings.

Ad Hoc Tests

Comparison Tukey-adjusted p
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry-Medical Surgical 0.798
Critical Care-Medical Surgical 0.167
Emergency Department-Medical Surgical 1.000
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8)-Medical Surgical 0.283
Other/Undisclosed-Medical Surgical 0.142
Critical Care-Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 0.776
Emergency Department-Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 0.896
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8)-Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 0.935
Other/Undisclosed-Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 0.829
Emergency Department-Critical Care 0.312
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8)-Critical Care 0.998
Other/Undisclosed-Critical Care 1.000
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8)-Emergency Department 0.476
Other/Undisclosed-Emergency Department 0.327
Other/Undisclosed-Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 1.000

Although the omnibus ANOVA suggested a difference in Supportive Leadership by specialty, none of the pairwise comparisons were statistically significant after Tukey adjustment (all adjusted p-values > .05). The smallest adjusted p-values were observed for Other/Undisclosed vs Medical Surgical (p = .142) and Critical Care vs Medical Surgical (p = .167), but these did not meet the threshold for significance under multiple-comparison control, indicating that the overall effect is modest and/or spread across groups rather than driven by a single strong pairwise difference.

Autonomy & Control over Practice

Autonomy & Control over Practice
Predictor Category n Mean (SD) Overall p
Generation Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 18 5.15 (0.79) .035
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 41 4.62 (0.83)
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28) 64 4.48 (1.07)
Gender Female 108 4.61 (0.98) .511
Male/Undisclosed 15 4.78 (0.96)
Race/Ethnicity Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 4.47 (0.79) .696
Black/African American 17 4.65 (0.94)
Hispanic/Latino 21 4.78 (0.84)
White (not Hispanic) 68 4.57 (1.08)
Other/Undisclosed 4 5.16 (0.40)
Highest Nursing Education Associate Degree 22 4.69 (0.77) .947
Bachelors Degree 91 4.62 (1.03)
Masters Degree/Undisclosed 10 4.59 (0.88)
Specialty Medical Surgical 28 4.65 (0.93) .438
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 26 4.61 (1.03)
Critical Care 14 4.19 (0.91)
Emergency Department 13 4.99 (0.91)
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 19 4.60 (0.99)
Other/Undisclosed 23 4.71 (1.02)

For the Autonomy & Control over Practice subscale, mean scores differed by generation (overall p = .035). Scores were highest among Generation X/Undisclosed (5.15) and lower among Millennials (4.62) and Generation Z (4.48). Autonomy & Control scores did not differ significantly by gender (p = .511), race/ethnicity (p = .696), highest nursing education (p = .947), or specialty (p = .438).

Ad Hoc Tests

Comparison Tukey-adjusted p
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44)-Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 0.125
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28)-Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 0.026
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28)-Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 0.750

The Tukey post-hoc comparisons indicate that the only statistically significant pairwise difference was between Generation Z and Generation X/Undisclosed (Tukey-adjusted p = .026), with Generation X/Undisclosed showing higher mean Autonomy & Control scores than Generation Z. Differences between Millennials and Generation X/Undisclosed (p = .125) and between Generation Z and Millennials (p = .750) were not statistically significant after Tukey adjustment, suggesting that the overall generation effect is primarily driven by the Generation X vs Generation Z contrast.

Teamwork

Teamwork
Predictor Category n Mean (SD) Overall p
Generation Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 18 5.26 (0.65) .764
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 41 5.38 (0.56)
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28) 64 5.28 (0.81)
Gender Female 108 5.34 (0.68) .299
Male/Undisclosed 15 5.13 (0.87)
Race/Ethnicity Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 5.02 (0.86) .366
Black/African American 17 5.13 (0.74)
Hispanic/Latino 21 5.38 (0.58)
White (not Hispanic) 68 5.39 (0.71)
Other/Undisclosed 4 5.38 (0.44)
Highest Nursing Education Associate Degree 22 5.30 (0.56) .769
Bachelors Degree 91 5.33 (0.73)
Masters Degree/Undisclosed 10 5.16 (0.86)
Specialty Medical Surgical 28 5.50 (0.55) .468
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 26 5.25 (0.75)
Critical Care 14 5.27 (0.72)
Emergency Department 13 5.48 (0.61)
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 19 5.13 (0.94)
Other/Undisclosed 23 5.22 (0.66)

For the Teamwork subscale, mean scores were consistently high across all demographic categories and no statistically significant subgroup differences were detected. Teamwork did not differ by generation (p = .764), gender (p = .299), race/ethnicity (p = .366), highest nursing education (p = .769), or specialty (p = .468).

Communication About Patients

Communication About Patients
Predictor Category n Mean (SD) Overall p
Generation Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 18 5.22 (0.74) .310
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 41 4.87 (0.59)
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28) 64 4.87 (1.09)
Gender Female 108 4.91 (0.92) .805
Male/Undisclosed 15 4.97 (0.82)
Race/Ethnicity Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 4.77 (0.69) .220
Black/African American 17 5.18 (0.59)
Hispanic/Latino 21 5.19 (0.59)
White (not Hispanic) 68 4.78 (1.06)
Other/Undisclosed 4 5.25 (0.82)
Highest Nursing Education Associate Degree 22 4.95 (0.55) .888
Bachelors Degree 91 4.90 (0.99)
Masters Degree/Undisclosed 10 5.04 (0.82)
Specialty Medical Surgical 28 5.09 (0.71) .223
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 26 4.60 (0.98)
Critical Care 14 4.64 (0.78)
Emergency Department 13 5.17 (0.73)
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 19 5.04 (1.08)
Other/Undisclosed 23 5.00 (1.00)

For the Communication About Patients subscale, mean scores were broadly similar across demographic categories. No statistically significant differences were observed by generation (p = .310), gender (p = .805), race/ethnicity (p = .220), highest nursing education (p = .888), or specialty (p = .223). Although some groups had higher mean scores, these differences were not significant in the omnibus tests.

Cultural Sensitivity

Cultural Sensitivity
Predictor Category n Mean (SD) Overall p
Generation Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 18 5.37 (0.58) .892
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 41 5.29 (0.67)
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28) 63 5.34 (0.75)
Gender Female 107 5.35 (0.65) .321
Male/Undisclosed 15 5.16 (0.98)
Race/Ethnicity Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 5.15 (0.78) .783
Black/African American 17 5.30 (0.62)
Hispanic/Latino 21 5.41 (0.63)
White (not Hispanic) 67 5.33 (0.73)
Other/Undisclosed 4 5.61 (0.43)
Highest Nursing Education Associate Degree 22 5.38 (0.52) .771
Bachelors Degree 90 5.30 (0.73)
Masters Degree/Undisclosed 10 5.44 (0.74)
Specialty Medical Surgical 28 5.39 (0.70) .495
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 25 5.35 (0.65)
Critical Care 14 5.02 (0.91)
Emergency Department 13 5.51 (0.50)
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 19 5.23 (0.83)
Other/Undisclosed 23 5.39 (0.53)

For the Cultural Sensitivity subscale, mean scores were uniformly high across all demographic groups, and no statistically significant differences were observed by generation (p = .892), gender (p = .321), race/ethnicity (p = .783), highest nursing education (p = .771), or specialty (p = .495).

Handling Disagreement and Conflict

Handling Disagreement and Conflict
Predictor Category n Mean (SD) Overall p
Generation Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 18 4.48 (0.61) .409
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 41 4.26 (0.60)
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28) 64 4.27 (0.64)
Gender Female 108 4.30 (0.62) .854
Male/Undisclosed 15 4.27 (0.68)
Race/Ethnicity Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 4.20 (0.49) .816
Black/African American 17 4.38 (0.70)
Hispanic/Latino 21 4.40 (0.64)
White (not Hispanic) 68 4.27 (0.64)
Other/Undisclosed 4 4.14 (0.31)
Highest Nursing Education Associate Degree 22 4.25 (0.36) .834
Bachelors Degree 91 4.32 (0.67)
Masters Degree/Undisclosed 10 4.21 (0.65)
Specialty Medical Surgical 28 4.47 (0.57) .515
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 26 4.30 (0.65)
Critical Care 14 4.10 (0.67)
Emergency Department 13 4.25 (0.69)
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 19 4.18 (0.59)
Other/Undisclosed 23 4.32 (0.63)

For the Handling Disagreement and Conflict subscale, mean scores were similar across demographic categories, with no statistically significant subgroup differences detected. Scores did not differ by generation (p = .409), gender (p = .854), race/ethnicity (p = .816), highest nursing education (p = .834), or specialty (p = .515).

Sufficient Staff, Time, and Resources for Quality Patient Care

Sufficient Staff, Time, and Resources for Quality Patient Care
Predictor Category n Mean (SD) Overall p
Generation Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 18 4.46 (1.03) .053
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 41 3.55 (1.34)
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28) 64 4.00 (1.45)
Gender Female 108 3.89 (1.39) .495
Male/Undisclosed 15 4.15 (1.30)
Race/Ethnicity Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 3.96 (1.16) .722
Black/African American 17 4.04 (1.31)
Hispanic/Latino 21 4.14 (1.31)
White (not Hispanic) 68 3.78 (1.41)
Other/Undisclosed 4 4.50 (2.38)
Highest Nursing Education Associate Degree 22 3.74 (1.07) .650
Bachelors Degree 91 3.93 (1.44)
Masters Degree/Undisclosed 10 4.22 (1.51)
Specialty Medical Surgical 28 3.62 (1.34) .069
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 26 3.48 (1.34)
Critical Care 14 3.88 (1.15)
Emergency Department 13 4.69 (1.10)
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 19 4.36 (1.56)
Other/Undisclosed 23 4.02 (1.42)

For the Sufficient Staff, Time, and Resources for Quality Patient Care subscale, mean scores showed greater variability than other subscales, but no subgroup differences reached statistical significance at α = .05. Scores were not significantly different by generation (p = .053), gender (p = .495), race/ethnicity (p = .722), or highest nursing education (p = .650). Differences by specialty were also not statistically significant (p = .069), although mean scores were numerically higher in the Emergency Department (4.69) and the combined Perioperative/Maternal-Child/Psychiatric/JRI group (4.36) compared with Intermediate Care/Telemetry (3.48) and Medical Surgical (3.62).

Work Motivation

Work Motivation
Predictor Category n Mean (SD) Overall p
Generation Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 18 5.40 (0.61) .274
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 41 5.30 (0.62)
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28) 64 5.09 (1.00)
Gender Female 108 5.23 (0.81) .345
Male/Undisclosed 15 5.01 (1.07)
Race/Ethnicity Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 5.19 (0.96) .478
Black/African American 17 5.32 (0.48)
Hispanic/Latino 21 5.44 (0.62)
White (not Hispanic) 68 5.09 (0.96)
Other/Undisclosed 4 5.46 (0.32)
Highest Nursing Education Associate Degree 22 5.26 (0.61) .910
Bachelors Degree 91 5.18 (0.87)
Masters Degree/Undisclosed 10 5.27 (1.10)
Specialty Medical Surgical 28 5.20 (0.84) .147
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 26 4.99 (1.00)
Critical Care 14 4.83 (0.91)
Emergency Department 13 5.40 (0.64)
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 19 5.53 (0.57)
Other/Undisclosed 23 5.30 (0.83)

For the Work Motivation subscale, mean scores were consistently high across all demographic categories, and no statistically significant subgroup differences were detected. Work Motivation did not differ by generation (p = .274), gender (p = .345), race/ethnicity (p = .478), highest nursing education (p = .910), or specialty (p = .147).

Supportive Leadership

Staff Relationships with Physicians, Staff, and Hospital Groups
Predictor Category n Mean (SD) Overall p
Generation Generation X: 1965–1980 (45–60)/Undisclosed 18 4.18 (0.70) .910
Millennials: 1981–1996 (29–44) 41 4.09 (0.77)
Generation Z: 1997–2012 (13–28) 64 4.08 (0.95)
Gender Female 108 4.08 (0.86) .577
Male/Undisclosed 15 4.21 (0.84)
Race/Ethnicity Asian/Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian 13 3.79 (0.54) .165
Black/African American 17 4.36 (0.76)
Hispanic/Latino 21 4.15 (0.63)
White (not Hispanic) 68 4.11 (0.94)
Other/Undisclosed 4 3.33 (1.29)
Highest Nursing Education Associate Degree 22 4.17 (0.63) .582
Bachelors Degree 91 4.11 (0.90)
Masters Degree/Undisclosed 10 3.83 (0.95)
Specialty Medical Surgical 28 4.28 (0.68) .145
Intermediate Care/ Telemetry 26 3.99 (0.81)
Critical Care 14 4.13 (0.70)
Emergency Department 13 3.92 (0.77)
Combined: Perioperative + Maternal-Child + Psychiatric + JRI (5–8) 19 3.72 (0.98)
Other/Undisclosed 23 4.37 (1.05)

For the Staff Relationships with Physicians, Staff, and Hospital Groups subscale, mean scores were similar across demographic categories and no statistically significant subgroup differences were identified. Scores did not differ by generation (p = .910), gender (p = .577), race/ethnicity (p = .165), highest nursing education (p = .582), or specialty (p = .145).