Relationship Between Professional Quality of Life and Career Success in Nurses: A Latent Profile Analysis

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Aims To classify the latent profiles of professional quality of life among nurses, determine the demographic factors influencing profile memberships, and examine the relationship between these profiles and career success. Background The professional quality of life is increasingly being employed to assess the active and passive work of nurses. However, whether different population characteristics of professional quality of life for nurses pattern latent profiles and how these subgroups correlate with nurses’ career success remains to be determined. Methods This cross‐sectional study was conducted between January and March 2024 at a general tertiary hospital in Sichuan Province, China. A total of 2233 nurses completed an online investigation encompassing the professional quality of life and career success. Latent profile analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were employed to validate our research hypotheses. The STROBE checklist was followed for this study. Results The professional quality of life among nurses was classified into three subgroups: “vibrant caregivers (24.5%),” “adaptive contributors (44.7%),” and “overburdened supporters (30.8%).” The comparison of three profiles among nurses with different genders, ages, marital statuses, personnel attribution, professional titles, managerial positions, working years, and rotational night shift status revealed statistically significant differences (all p < 0.05). The different profiles exhibited significant effects on career success among nurses (ΔR 2 = 0.165, p < 0.001). Conclusions The professional quality of life was significantly associated with career success for nurses. Nursing managers should recognize the individual differences in nurses’ professional quality of life and implement targeted organizational management strategies based on the specific needs of their staff. By doing so, they can enhance nurses' professional well‐being, foster higher levels of career success, and ensure the long‐term stability of the nursing team. Implications for nursing practice and policy This study emphasizes the need for tailored interventions in nursing practice and policy, addressing the distinct needs of nurses based on their profiles of professional quality of life to enhance their career success. By integrating flexible working conditions, psychological support systems, and data‐driven resource allocation, these strategies can improve nurses’ career success, patient care quality, and the sustainability of the healthcare system.