Career commitment and entrenchment among Primary Care nurses.

Objective: To assess career commitment and entrenchment among Primary Care nurses.

Method: This is a cross-sectional study, carried out in 2018, with primary care nurses from two cities in the state of São Paulo. The Career Commitment and Entrenchment Scales, validated in Brazil, and consisting of 12 items each, were used, and assess: identity, resilience, and planning, related to commitment; emotional costs, investments, and limitation of career alternatives, related to entrenchment.

Results: The mean score of career commitment (61.4 points) was higher than that of career entrenchment (57.8 points); the identity factor had a high level (70.9 points); resilience and career planning obtained medium levels (62.5 and 50.8 points, respectively). Career entrenchment (57.8 points) and its respective factors reached medium levels (investments: 57.7 points; limitation of alternatives: 58.8 points; emotional costs: 57.0 points).

Conclusion: The nurses showed a predominance of the career commitment relationship, as they showed a greater link of identification and positive relationship than of career stagnation.