Nurses’ Career Adaptability and Work Engagement: The Mediating Role of Cultural Intelligence

In the dynamic and increasingly diverse healthcare environment, career adaptability is a recognized predictor of work engagement. This study investigated the mediating effect of cultural intelligence as an underlying mechanism on the relationship among nursing professionals. Primary data were collected from a sample of nurses (N=271) using validated self-report questionnaires that assessed the three focal constructs: career adaptability, cultural intelligence, and work engagement. To test the proposed hypotheses and examine the structural relationships among the variables, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized. The findings revealed a significant positive direct relationship between career adaptability and work engagement. Crucially, the analysis confirmed that cultural intelligence exerts a significant mediating effect on this relationship: career adaptability positively predicts cultural intelligence, which, in turn, enhances work engagement. Highly adaptable nurses are better equipped to develop cultural intelligence, thereby improving their overall work engagement. Healthcare administrators should prioritize professional development programs that foster both career adaptability and cultural intelligence to sustain nurse engagement and improve patient care. Cultivating these critical psychosocial resources can effectively sustain nurses’ work engagement, reduce turnover intentions, and ultimately improve patient care outcomes in diverse healthcare settings.