Workplace empowerment, job satisfaction and job stress among Italian mental health nurses: an exploratory study

Aim  The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between staff nurses' structural empowerment, work stress and job satisfaction in two health care settings in Italy using Kanter's Empowerment Theory.
Background  With the current scarcity of economic resources and shortage of nurses, it is essential to empower nurses to perform at a high level to ensure high-quality patient care. Structural empowerment is a process that can optimize use of nursing skills and professional expertise, thereby increasing job satisfaction among nurses.
Method  A convenience sample of 77 nursing staff employed in the Department of Mental Health in central Italy was used in this study (return rate 64%).
Results  Structural empowerment was significantly related to their job satisfaction ( r  = 0.506, P  < 0.001), as was global empowerment ( r  = 0.62). Empowerment also had a significant negative relationship to nurses' work stress ( r  = −0.28, P  < 0.05).
Conclusion  The results of this study support Kanter's theory of structural empowerment in an Italian nursing sample – a previously unstudied population.
Implications for nursing management  Organizational administration must make every effort to create organizational structures and systems that empower nurses to practice according to professional standards and optimize the use of their knowledge and expertise.     

护理工作环境与护士职业倦怠现状及相关性研究

目的调查医院整体护理工作环境以及护士职业倦怠的现状,探讨二者的相关性。方法采用一般资料调查表、护理工作环境量表和护士职业倦怠量表对某医院302名护士进行调查。结果护理工作环境总分为(218.92±33.54)分,处于较低水平;护士职业倦怠检出率为69.21%,情绪衰竭维度得分最高;护理工作环境与护士职业倦怠呈负相关(P0.01)。结论护理管理者应提高医院整体护理工作环境,以降低护士职业倦怠感。     

护士工作价值观与工作满意度的调查分析

目的了解护士工作价值观与工作满意度的现状,并提出对策。方法采取方便抽样方法选取某所三级甲等医院117名护士,采用工作价值观量表、护士工作满意度量表进行调查。结果护士工作满意度处于中等水平;护士工作价值观总分为(4.95±0.91)分,其中情感型价值观(5.20±0.87)分,物质型价值观(4.93±0.75)分,认知型价值观(4.90±0.83)分。结论护理管理者对护士的情感需要和成就发展需要需进行投入,为护士创建良好的工作氛围,不断提高护士工作情景与个人工作价值观的契合度,进而提高护士的工作满意度和工作价值感。     

Freshmen in nursing: job motives and work values of a new generation

AIM: To identify the features young nurses look for in their job (job motives) and the features they look for in work in general (work values). BACKGROUND: In view of the shortage of appropriately educated and motivated nurses, a study of the motivational profile of the new generation nurses may provide additional insights. METHOD: In a survey, 344 newly graduate Belgian nurses were questioned. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that many of the traditional attractions are still important, with the recurrent issue of altruism. Furthermore, men are found to be more attracted by career opportunities, executive powers and autonomy, while women tend to attach more importance to interpersonal characteristics. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: When considering the new generation nurses, budget cuts and restructuring must be handled with prudence, due to the risk of crowding out the altruistic and interpersonal work features, which determine the specificity of the nursing job.     

工作压力在护士职业倦怠与工作特征的中介作用

目的了解护士职业倦怠、工作特征与工作压力的现状并评估三者的关系。方法采用一般情况调查表、中文版护士职业倦怠量表(maslach burnout inventory,MBI)、护士压力源量表、工作特征量表(job characteristics inventory)对423名护士进行调查。采用Pearson相关分析探讨护士工作特征、工作压力与职业倦怠三者的关系,根据Pearson相关分析,建立路径关系模型,对护士职业倦怠、工作特征与工作压力三者之间的关系进行路径分析。结果职业倦怠量表中护士情感耗竭维度的得分(26.04±11.64)分、工作冷漠感维度(7.39±2.14)分、个人无成就感维度(33.87±8.64)分,三者高度倦怠感分别占50.83%、39.01%、49.41%;护士工作特征总分(104.52±15.51)分;工作压力总分(109.32±18.93)分。工作压力在工作特征与职业倦怠之间有部分中介作用,中介效应占总效应的54.40%。结论护士职业倦怠较严重。护理管理者应采取有效的措施降低护士的工作压力感,从多个维度改善护士的工作特征,从而降低护士职业倦怠水平。     

Leadership behaviour of nurse managers in relation to job satisfaction and work climate

Aim  This study examines how nurse managers' leadership behaviour relates to job satisfaction and a creative work climate.
Background  The nursing shortage is a challenge for managers all over the world. Leadership is a core element of management and it is important to elucidate leadership behaviour in order to increase knowledge about attracting and retaining talented staff.
Method  We studied 770 subordinates at a large university hospital. Three questionnaires for assessing perceived leadership behaviour, creative work climate and job satisfaction were used.
Results  Subordinates with a manager perceived as 'super' have the highest rates on job satisfaction. The correlation between leadership and creative work climate is stronger than between leadership and job satisfaction. Between job satisfaction and work climate the correlation is strong.
Conclusions  The study shows that the relationship between a creative work climate and job satisfaction is strong. A managers' ability to lead has a major affect on work climate.
Implication for nursing management  Nurse managers must work on developing their leadership behaviour towards being an all-round leader that cares about people, is concerned about productivity and can handle changes. Support of ideas and initiatives are important in order to enable subordinates to perceive their work as challenging.     

A meta-analysis of studies of nurses' job satisfaction

Although several variables have been correlated with nursing job satisfaction, the findings are not uniform across studies. Three commonly noted variables from the nursing literature are: autonomy, job stress, and nurse-physician collaboration. This meta-analysis examined the strength of the relationships between job satisfaction and autonomy, job stress, and nurse-physician collaboration among registered nurses working in staff positions. A meta-analysis of 31 studies representing a total of 14,567 subjects was performed. Job satisfaction was most strongly correlated with job stress (ES = -.43), followed by nurse-physician collaboration (ES = .37), and autonomy (ES = .30). These findings have implications for the importance of improving the work environment to increase nurses' job satisfaction.     

我院高年资护士职业疲惫感原因分析

目的探讨高年资护士职业疲惫感的原因,为管理者制定人性化管理提供依据。方法采用现象学研究法探索高年资护士对护理工作的体验,以半结构式的深入会谈法对我院各临床科室的60名高年资护士进行访谈,对访谈资料采用阅读、分析、反思、分类、提练5个步骤分析其疲惫感产生的原因。结果高年资护士工作疲惫感原因包括5个方面,即工作无成就感、心理负荷过重、身体健康问题、自我追求受限、情感受挫。结论管理者应关注高年资护士的身心健康,加强与高年资护士的沟通,解决工作中遇到的困难。运用激励机制调动其工作热情,稳定护理队伍。     

四川省护士感知的工作环境与工作满意度的相关性研究

[目的]调查四川省护士感知的工作环境和工作满意度现况,为提高护士工作满意度提供干预依据.[方法]采用护理工作环境量表及工作满意度调查表,调查四川省20所二级、三级综合医院1 112名护士.[结果]护士感知的工作环境中“医护合作关系”得分最高,其次为“护士参与医院事务”,“充足的人力和物力”得分最低.护士工作满意度维度中“工作独立性”满意度得分最高,其次为“工作安排”满意度,收入得分最低.工作环境各维度与工作满意度呈正相关（P＜0.05或P＜0.01）;护士在目前医院的工作年限和充足的人力与物力对护士工作满意度具有预测作用（P＜0.05）.[结论]关注护士感知的工作环境对工作满意度的预测作用,并就其影响因素制定干预措施,以期提升护士工作满意度,留任护理人才,提升护理品质.     

四川省护士长培训班学员职业倦怠现状调查分析

目的调查四川省护士长职业倦怠的现状,分析职业倦怠的影响因素。方法采用中文版的Maslach工作倦怠量表-人类服务版对四川省护士长培训班的126名护士长进行问卷调查。结果护士长的情感耗竭为(17.74±8.86)分,处于中度水平;去人格化(5.51±4.23)分,处于低度水平;个人无效感为(29.64±7.54)分,处于高度水平。情感耗竭的影响因素是年龄、工作满意度和工作强度感受;去人格化的影响因素是工作强度感受;个人无效感的影响因素是年龄、工作年限、工作满意度和工作强度感受。结论四川省护士长的职业倦怠应引起医院管理者重视,应采取有效措施,改善倦怠现状。     

Newly licensed registered nurses' perceptions of job difficulties, demands and control: individual and organizational predictors

unruh l.y. & nooney j. (2011) Journal of Nursing Management 19 , 572–584
Newly licensed registered nurses’ perceptions of job difficulties, demands and control: individual and organizational predictors Aims To determine predictors of newly licensed registered nurses’ perceptions of job difficulties, job demands and job control. Background In previous studies, new registered nurses describe their work environment as stressful, yet little is known about factors that influence these experiences. Methods We surveyed a random sample of newly licensed registered nurses in Florida. Dependent variables included indicators of job difficulty, job demand and job control. Independent variables included individual and organizational characteristics hypothesized to be related to the dependent variables. Logistic and ordinary least squares regressions were used to analyse survey data. Results Inadequate orientation, working the day shift, working a greater number of hours and caring for a higher number of patients were significantly related to a greater likelihood of perceptions of job difficulty and job demand. Less adequate orientation and a greater number of float shifts were related to a lower likelihood of perceptions of job control. Conclusions and implications Adequacy of orientation, patient load, work hours, shift work and floating are priority items that need improvement in the work environment of newly licensed registered nurses. Implications for Nursing Management The present study identified factors involved with newly licensed registered nurses’ perceptions of job difficulties, job demands and job control which will help managers redesign work settings to retain new nurses.     

Workplace empowerment,collaborative work relationships,and job strain in nurse practitioners

PURPOSE: To test a theoretical model linking nurse practitioners' (NPs) perceptions of workplace empowerment, collaboration with physicians and managers, and job strain. DATA SOURCES: A predictive, nonexperimental design was used to test a model in a sample of 63 acute care NPs and 54 primary care NPs working in Ontario, Canada. The Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire, the Collaborative Behaviour Scale--Parts A (physicians) and B (managers), and the Job Content Questionnaire were used to measure the major study variables. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study support the proposition that the extent to which NPs have access to information, support, resources, and opportunities in their work environment has an impact on the extent of collaboration with physicians and managers, and ultimately, the degree of job strain experienced in the work setting. Primary care NPs have significantly higher levels of workplace empowerment, collaboration with managers, and lower levels of job strain than acute care NPs. IMPLICATIONS: These findings will benefit NPs and nursing leaders in their efforts to create empowering work environments that enable NPs to provide excellent quality patient care and achieve organizational outcomes.     

The moderating role of job resources in the relationship between job demands and interleukin‐6 in an Italian healthcare organization

In this study we examined the association between job demands (JD), job resources (JR), and serum levels of a possible biomarker of stress, the pro‐inflammatory cytokine interleukin‐6 (IL‐6). According to the buffer hypothesis of the Job Demands‐Resources (JD‐R) model, we expected that job resources—defined as job autonomy and social support from supervisor—might buffer the relationship between job demands, defined as emotional demands and interpersonal conflict with colleagues, and IL‐6. Data from 119 employees in an Italian public healthcare organization (acute care hospital) were analyzed using multiple regression. In predicting IL‐6, the interactions between emotional demands and JR and between interpersonal conflict with colleagues and job autonomy (but not social support) were significant, after controlling for the effect of age and gender. The association between JD and IL‐6 was stronger for individuals with low levels of JR, so that levels of IL‐6 were highest when JD were high and JR were low. Overall, these results are consistent with the buffer hypothesis of the JD‐R model and also extend previous research, showing that the exposure to stressful situations at work, measured as high JD and low JR, is associated with higher levels of IL‐6 in hospital employees.