Exploring the Impact of Certification Activity, Years of Laboratory Experience, Highest Degree Held, Occupational Commitment, and Job Loss Insecurity on Intent to Leave Occupation for Medical Technologists

Journal of Allied Health, Winter 2006 by Blau, Gary, Daymont, Tom, Hochner, Art, Koziara, Karen, Et al

Intent to leave occupation was measured in 2002 using a three-item measure taken from Blau.26 A sample item is "I intend to leave the medical technology profession as soon as possible."

ANALYSIS

This is a field study based on repeat-respondent data collected over time. Before testing the hypotheses, descriptive, reliability, and correlational data for measures used are reported.

Hierarchical regression analyses were used to test the study hypotheses. Variables were stepped in as follows: first the demographic variables of highest degree held and total years worked in the laboratory (step 1), followed by the occupational commitment dimensions (step 2), chronologically followed by job loss insecurity (step 3), and finally certification activity (step 4). Given the sample size, the "threshold" for statistical significance of a correlation is that the correlation must be greater than 0.13 for p

Given the large amount of missing data over the 3-year study period, an analysis was performed to determine if subject attrition was biasing the results. Goodman and Blum27 have recommended using logistic regression because it models the probability of being included in one of two response categories, remaining in or leaving the sample, which fits the definition of nonrandom sampling. The dependent variable is staying versus leaving the sample, and all study variables constituted the independent variables in the logistic regression. Results indicated that none of the study variables were significantly related to staying versus leaving the sample over the period studied.

Results

GENERAL

Means, standard deviations, reliabilities, and correlations among study variables are reported in Table 1. Variable means are based on the response scale used for that scale. Inspection of Table 1 shows that overall certification activity across the 3-year period had a low response rate (i.e., 18%). Also, only 11% of the sample had some type of postbaccalaureate degree. As shown in the diagonal of Table 1, all multi-item scales, except for certification activity, had internal consistency reliabilities (Cronbach's a) of at least 0.70, which is ideal for research.28 The reliability of 0.67 for the certification activity measure was more marginal but still sufficient for research purposes.2S Correlational results in the last row indicate that certification activity (r = -0.17) and all four occupational commitment dimensions, that is, affective (r = -0.36), normative (r = -0.32), accumulated (r = -0.21), and limited alternatives (r = -0.22), are each significantly negatively related to intent to leave occupation. Job loss insecurity is positively related (r = 0.14). However, both total years worked in the laboratory (r = -0.09) and highest degree held (r = -0.10) have nonsignificant relationships to intent to leave occupation.

TESTS OF HYPOTHESES

Hierarchical regression analysis, presented in Table 2, was used to test both study hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that years of experience, highest degree held, and occupational commitment will be negatively related to intent to leave one's occupation, while job loss insecurity will be positively related to intent to leave one's occupation. As shown in Table 2, neither highest degree held (β = -0.11 ) nor years of experience (β = -0.06) were significantly related to intent to leave occupation. Each of the four occupational commitment dimensions had a significant negative relationship to intent to leave, that is, affective (β = -0.35), normative (β = -0.20), accumulated (β = -0.17), and limited alternatives (β = -0.21). However, job loss insecurity did not have a significant positive relationship to intent to leave (β = 0.12). Overall, these results provide partial support for hypothesis 1.