Personality Characteristics of Emergency Nurses and Their Subjective Fit in the Emergency Department
Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Selected Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Nursing
Department
Nursing
School
School of Nursing and Health Sciences
Abstract
Nursing workforce challenges in the United States persist despite widespread recruitment and retention efforts, and the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated shortages, turnover, and workforce instability. Despite interventions such as residency programs, financial incentives, and organizational initiatives, long-term retention remains inconsistent, particularly in high-demand settings like emergency departments. Ongoing issues such as overcrowding, rising patient acuity, and workforce attrition contribute to burnout, compassion fatigue, and compromised patient outcomes, perpetuating a cycle of staffing strain. Grounded in Person–Environment Fit theory, this research proposes that aligning emergency nurses’ personality traits with the specialty practice environment, the emergency department, may offer a more sustainable strategy for improving job satisfaction and retention. Using a quantitative, descriptive correlational design, the study investigates the relationship between personality traits and perceived job fit among U.S.-based emergency department nurses. Data were collected using the HEXACO Personality Inventory and the Person–Job Fit subscale of the Perceived Person–Environment Fit Scale (PPEFS). Statistical analyses examined personality patterns, their predictive relationship with job fit, and associations with demographic and professional variables, including gender, years of experience, certification, and career trajectory. Findings indicate that emergency nurses exhibit distinct personality characteristics, including higher levels of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Honesty–Humility, as well as lower Emotionality than community norms. Participants reported strong perceived person–job fit, suggesting alignment between individual traits and the demands of emergency nursing. Significant relationships were identified between personality traits, particularly Extraversion and Conscientiousness, and job fit. Experience in the emergency department was positively associated with perceived fit, while gender, certification attitudes, and career trajectory demonstrated limited influence. Overall, the results support the relevance of personality and person–environment alignment in understanding nurse retention. Integrating personality-informed strategies into workforce planning may enhance job satisfaction, reduce turnover, and improve long-term stability in emergency nursing.
Related Pillar(s)
Study
Recommended Citation
Maria, Jose Michael, "Personality Characteristics of Emergency Nurses and Their Subjective Fit in the Emergency Department" (2026). Theses & Dissertations. 242.
https://digitalcommons.molloy.edu/etd/242
