BACKGROUND: Innovative behavior drives nursing advancement, yet the mechanism linking career calling to innovative behavior for resident nurses remains unclear. This study used bootstrap-validated structural equation modeling to examine the mediating role of career calling between job satisfaction and innovative behavior. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of 247 resident nurses at a Sichuan tertiary hospital (April-July 2024) completed the McCloskey-Mueller Satisfaction Scale, 12-item calling scale, and Nurse Innovative Behavior Scale. Structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and mediating effects with bootstrap validation. RESULTS: < .01). Job satisfaction significantly predicted career calling and innovative behavior (beta = 0.263), and career calling also predicted innovative behavior (beta = 0.547). The mediation effect (0.14, 58.75%) was significant, with good model fit (comparative fit index = 0.974, root mean square error of approximation = 0.111). CONCLUSION: Career calling partially mediates the effect of job satisfaction on innovative behavior, highlighting its pivotal role in fostering innovation among nurses. Enhancing both job satisfaction and career calling may effectively strengthen the innovative capacity and professional engagement of nurses.
Liu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.