The Relationship between Career Adaptability and Entrenchment among Employees of Medical Centers: The Mediating Role of Perceived Career Success

The current study aimed to investigate the mediating role of perceived career success (subjective career success and career satisfaction) in the relationship between career adaptability and entrenchment among employees of medical centers and it was a quantitative correlational study. The statistical population comprised all employees of general medical centers related to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Isfahan city. From this population, three medical centers and a sample size of 367 employees were selected through convenience sampling method and based on the population of each administrative and medical class. Instruments of the study included career entrenchment, self-rated career performance, career satisfaction, and career adaptability scales. The results of structural equation modeling showed that career adaptability had a direct significant negative relationship with career entrenchment (p < /em><0/01), and had an indirect significant positive relationship with career entrenchment through subjective career success and career satisfaction (p < /em><0/0001). The results indicated that perceived career success mediated the relationship between career adaptability and entrenchment. Generally, career adaptability results in decreasing career entrenchment; on the other hand, career adaptability might increase career entrenchment through increasing perceived career success.