NURSING CENTERS IN ACADEMIA AND FACULTY JOB SATISFACTION (PRACTICE, CLINICAL EDUCATION

Nursing education programs in the United States have established nursing practice centers that offer nursing care directly to the public. This descriptive, correlational study describes academically based nursing centers and faculty job satisfaction. The theoretical framework selected for the research was general systems theory. Research questions were specifically designed to address selected characteristics of nursing centers and to identify levels of job satisfaction among nursing faculty members associated with these centers.;The Boettcher Nursing Center Inventory (BCNI) was developed for the study to identify these characteristics. The Brayfield Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (BJSQ) was used to determine levels of job satisfaction. Forty nursing centers were located at schools of nursing in twenty-five states throughout the nation; the Midwest's north central region had the greatest concentration of centers. Thirty-two centers and 124 nursing faculty members participated in the study.;Academically based nursing centers are offering a wide range of nursing care to clients throughout the life span in a variety of settings. The typical nursing care center was opened to: (1) provide clinical learning opportunities; (2) make available faculty practice sites; and (3) contribute to the health care of the community. The facilities are equipped for counseling, client education, health assessment, and laboratory screening and are most often located at the school of nursing. The nursing care includes: (1) counseling, (2) self help education and support groups, (3) illness and first aid care, and (4) home health care. An average of 850 clients receive care each year at the center. The typical client is an adult from the community. One to five nursing faculty members and one to ten students staff the clinic. The majority of the faculty members are master's prepared with clinical specialization in adult health. At least one research project is probably in progress. The typical annual budget is $59,921 with financing primarily through university funding.;High levels of job satisfaction were indicated by a BJSQ mean score of 70.83. Significant correlations were found between job satisfaction and these characteristics: (1) budget (p < .007), (2) caring for adolescent clients (p < .03), and (3) plans to modernize and expand the facilities (p < .07).