From Compromise to Burnout: Understanding Potential Pathways Linking Career Compromise and Burnout Among Novice Nurses via Latent Profile Analysis and Mediation Analysis
Hongli Zhang, Xiaojuan Feng, Yacui Yuan, Zhentian Wu, Yuhan Wei, Qiaoying Yang, Yanting Han, Ka LiBackground
Retention of novice nurses is a key strategy for alleviating nursing shortages and ensuring the sustainability of the nursing profession. During the transition to clinical practice, novice nurses face unique challenges and may experience career compromise when attempting to reconcile their career expectations with workplace realities. Career compromise has been associated with burnout and even turnover. However, career compromise among novice nurses has received insufficient research attention. This study aimed to identify profiles of career compromise among novice nurses and examine the role of occupational identity in the relationship between different career compromise profiles and burnout, thereby providing insights for improving novice nurse retention.
Methods
A cross‐sectional survey was conducted from August to December 2025. A total of 570 novice nurses completed an online questionnaire that collected demographic information and included the Career Compromise Scale, Occupational Identity Scale, and Burnout Scale. Latent profile analysis was used to identify career compromise profiles. Univariate and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine factors statistically associated with profile membership. Finally, the potential statistical indirect association involving occupational identity between career compromise profiles and burnout was examined.
Results
Three career compromise profiles were identified: a low career compromise profile ( n = 211, 37.0%), a moderate career compromise profile ( n = 169, 29.6%), and a high career compromise profile ( n = 190, 33.3%). Gender, marital status, educational level, monthly income, employment form, working time every day (hours), interested in nursing, and having the thought to resign were statistically associated with profile membership. Analysis of statistical indirect associations showed that, compared with the low career compromise profile, both the moderate and high career compromise profiles were associated with lower occupational identity and higher burnout.
Conclusions
Novice nurses exhibited career compromise profiles reflecting different levels of career compromise, with approximately two‐thirds experiencing moderate or high levels of career compromise. Occupational identity partially accounted for the observed association between career compromise profiles and burnout. Occupational identity may partially account for the observed association between career compromise profiles and burnout, with a statistically significant indirect association. Identifying sociodemographic and work‐related factors associated with career compromise and providing tailored support for nurses with different career compromise profiles may help inform interventions addressing career compromise and burnout among novice nurses. However, the effectiveness of such interventions requires evaluation in longitudinal and intervention studies.
Implications for Nursing Management
Assessing subgroups of novice nurses according to their career compromise profiles can inform hypothesis‐generating and potentially targeted support strategies and promote continuous improvement. Supporting early career adaptation and considering occupational identity in support strategies may be relevant to burnout and novice nurse retention. The potential value of such approaches should be evaluated in prospective and intervention studies before implementation.