Nurse faculty and students' behavioral intentions and perceptions toward entrepreneurship in nursing

A cross-sectional survey design was employed to explore perceptions of entrepreneurship in nursing (EIN), and the determinants of those perceptions among nurse faculty and nursing students, using constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TpB). The TpB is a behavioral theory in which behavioral intentions (BI) mediate the effects of attitudes (ATT), subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC) and self-perceived entrepreneurship knowledge (SPEK) on behavior. The aims of this study were to (a) develop and validate a new instrument---the Perceptions in Entrepreneurship in Nursing (PEN) survey---designed to assess TpB constructs tailored toward nursing entrepreneurship behaviors, (b) develop and test a model predicting entrepreneurship behavioral intentions in nursing, and (c) provide recommendations for curricula pertinent to entrepreneurship education based on the study's findings.;The psychometric properties of the PEN survey were assessed in a pilot study (N=111) prior to conducting the research survey. The regional survey was completed by nurse faculty (n=851) and nursing students (n=488) affiliated with one-hundred and forty (140) CCNE accredited schools of nursing with bachelor degrees or higher from fourteen states in the northeast and south Atlantic regions of the U.S. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the 14 item PEN instrument demonstrated construct validity of the five (5) factors corresponding to the TpB constructs. Cronbach's alpha for scale reliability were: overall, alpha=0.85; BI subscale: alpha=0.94; SN: alpha=0.80, ATT: alpha=0.72, PBC: alpha=0.63; SPEK: alpha=0.92.;Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to assess the relationships among the latent variables as specified in the Behavioral Intentions Toward Entrepreneurship in Nursing (BI-TEN) Model, an empirical model derived from the TpB. The evaluated model demonstrated that positive ATT, SN, and PBC predicted positive BI toward entrepreneurship in nursing among both faculty and student subgroups, and that SPEK was indirectly associated with BI through ATT, SN, and PBC. All model path coefficients in faculty and student BI-TEN models were significant at alpha ≤0.005 level.;The PEN survey is a valid and reliable tool to assess perceptions and behavioral intentions toward entrepreneurship in nursing. The BI-TEN model can be utilized in curricula development and as a framework for promoting entrepreneurial behaviors in nursing practice, research and education. This study also demonstrates the important influence of knowledge on perceptions and intentions related to EIN. Also self-perceived knowledge can be increased through formal education, as well as entrepreneurial activities. Additionally encouragement by faculty for students to engage in EIN may influence entrepreneurial behaviors. At the same time, perceived role conflicts between nursing and entrepreneurship should be addressed in educational curricula related to EIN. Finally this study adds to the body of literature on entrepreneurship in nursing and supports use of the theory of planned behavior in nursing education.