Statement of the problem. There is currently an acute nurse shortage that is most severe in the Southeast and especially in Georgia. Recommendations to solve the shortage have been based on limited data that fail to consider nurses' career activities over time. The purpose of this descriptive research was to conduct an in-depth study of career patterns of nurses who graduated from Georgia schools of nursing with baccalaureate degrees in May or June, 1985.

Methods. A systems approach was used to develop the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through extensive telephone interviews with a stratified random sample of 50 respondents from 10 schools of nursing. Respondents were asked open-ended questions about their career activities, both educational and employment, using a structured interview guide that had been tested for content validity and reliability. Respondents were further asked to identify factors that influenced their decisions for organizational entry, tenure and exit. Data were analyzed using content analysis, descriptive and predictive statistical techniques. Relevant findings were used to identify career patterns and outcomes.

Results and conclusions. Findings from this study revealed that 98% of respondents entered the health care suprasystem for employment as professional nurses. Although contributions to nursing service were impressive, the losses to health care systems from turnover were substantial. The mean number of systems worked in the 5-1/2 years studied was 3.04. Few turnovers were career progressive in terms of increased positional status. Work schedule was a primary factor influencing respondent decisions for system entry, tenure, and exit. Influences from schools of nursing were found to affect respondent career activities. Respondents from small schools of nursing stayed in health care organizations significantly longer than those from large schools and respondents who furthered their education in nursing were from large schools. Schools of nursing were a primary influencing factor for selection of clinical practice areas. Three career outcomes, organizational tenure, career progression, and contentedness were studied for patterns and predictors. School size and career progression were predictors for organizational tenure, number of months worked full time and the shift worked were predictors for career progression, and number of years married predicted career-contentedness.