Validation of Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Organizational Climate Questionnaire: A New Tool to Study Nurse Practitioner Practice Settings

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Favorable organizational climate in primary care settings is necessary to expand the nurse practitioner (NP) workforce and promote their practice. Only one NP-specific tool, the Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Organizational Climate Questionnaire (NP-PCOCQ), measures NP organizational climate. We confirmed NP-PCOCQ’s factor structure and established its predictive validity. Methods: A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from 314 NPs in Massachusetts in 2012. Confirmatory factor analysis and regression models were used. Results: The 4-factor model characterized NP-PCOCQ. The NP-PCOCQ score predicted job satisfaction (beta = .36; p < .001) and intent to leave job (odds ratio = .28; p = .011). Conclusion: NP-PCOCQ can be used by researchers to produce new evidence and by administrators to assess organizational climate in their clinics. Further testing of NP-PCOCQ is needed.