From nurse to nurse anesthetist: the influence of age and gender on professional socialization and career commitment of advanced practice nurses.

The purpose of this study was to identify the influence of age and gender on professional socialization and career commitment of student registered nurse anesthetists. A 78-item, self-administered questionnaire was mailed to the United States population of student nurse anesthetists (n = 2,008). Responses were received from 1,106 (55 per cent response rate). Forty per cent of the respondents were male, and 60 per cent were female. Thirty-nine per cent of respondents were age 20 to 30 years; 48 per cent were 31 to 40 years old; and 13 per cent were older than 40 years. Demographic data and scales identifying the three dimensions of socialization were analyzed with Chi square and GSK analysis of variance to measure responses and differences to all Guttman-scaled items. Age and gender both correlated significantly (P < .05) with the socioeconomic rewards of the profession. Increasing age was negatively correlated with professional socioeconomic rewards and attraction and the dimension of relatedness to the professional role. Male gender was positively correlated with a bureaucratic orientation and administrative/supervisory roles, and female gender was positively correlated with holistic patient care. Men achieved socialization more readily in the dimension of occupational orientation. Nurses, particularly advanced practice nurses, are socialized into a hierarchy that has implicit values and roles. The influence of age and gender must be considered in the professional socialization process.