Career paths of 1988 and 1998 nurse graduates in Switzerland: nurses at work pilot study

Comparison of student nurses' expectations and newly qualified nurses' experiences regarding clinical practice: A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey

AIM

To compare student nurses' expectations and newly qualified nurses' experiences regarding clinical practice in Switzerland 1 year after graduation.

DESIGN

A secondary explorative analysis of a cross-sectional survey.

METHODS

The data were sourced from the Swiss National Graduate Survey of Health Professionals covering six universities of applied sciences between 2016 and 2019, with information on three cohorts of bachelor student nurses, with a 1-year follow-up between each year. The participants were 533 bachelor-prepared nursing graduates.

RESULTS

The student nurses' overall expectations included the following top two prioritized aspects: 'contributing to something important' and 'adequate time to spend with patients'. Newly graduated nurses' clinical practice experiences demonstrated that not all expectations were met 1 year after graduation. The largest gaps were found in 'adequate time to spend with patients', 'work-life balance' and experiencing 'good management'.

CONCLUSION

The most crucial expectation gaps are related to having sufficient time to spend with patients and a good work-life balance. The most important result is whether there is a shortage of places for nurses to work rather than the oft-cited shortage of nurses.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE

The expectations of Swiss newly qualified nurses can be better met by an assessment in the first year about which individual perceptions of workplace characteristics cause them to make choices to change something about their work, affect their job satisfaction or influence their intention to stay.

IMPACT

Few of the student nurses' expectations were met 1 year after graduation, therefore Swiss healthcare institutions should improve needs assessments to strengthen the nurse workforce starting early in employment. The results underscore the importance of a constructive management culture, such as that in magnet hospitals in the United States which underpins the philosophy of changing in nursing. The results can be used internationally as a benchmark and as a basis for introducing potential interventions for nurse retention.

REPORTING METHOD

This study was reported following the Standardized Reporting of Secondary Data Analyses Checklist.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

There were no patient or public contributions.

TRIAL AND PROTOCOL REGISTRATION

This study has not been registered.

Relationship between Psychological Ownership of the Nursing Profession and Turnover Intention: A Correlational Survey among Taiwanese Nurses

AIMS

To examine the relationship between psychological ownership of the nursing profession and turnover intention.

BACKGROUND

There is a severe shortage of nurses worldwide. Research is needed to understand how nurses' intention to leave hospitals and the nursing profession can be alleviated.

METHODS

This study adopted a cross-sectional design and a survey method. Proportionate random sampling was used to ensure sample representativeness. This study surveyed 430 registered nurses in a medical center in Taiwan between December 2021 and January 2022. We used Turnover Scale and Self-Efficacy Scale, and developed Having a Place Scale.

RESULTS

Psychological ownership comprises three dimensions: self-efficacy, nurse identity, and "having a place" in the nursing profession. This research is the first to examine how these three dimensions of psychological ownership of the nursing profession are related to the intention to leave a hospital or the nursing profession. Self-efficacy and "having a place" are negatively related to nurses' intention to leave a hospital (r=-.23 and -.31, p<.001). Nurse identity is negatively related to nurses' intention to leave the nursing profession (r=-.38, p<.001). Intention to leave a hospital is positively related to nurses' intention to leave the profession (r=.76, p<.001).

CONCLUSION

The findings provide novel insights for retaining nurses. Nurse managers could use strategies such as including nurses in making workplace decisions and encouraging them to personalize their workspace. Implications for Nursing Management Nurse managers can enhance nurses' self-efficacy and sense of "having a place" to retain nurses in hospitals, while enhance nurse identity to retain nurses in the profession.

Psychosocial working conditions of shiftworking nurses: A long-term latent transition analysis

AIM

This study aimed to identify profiles of working conditions to which nurses were exposed to over time and investigate how changes in working conditions relate to shiftworking and health.

BACKGROUND

Previous studies rarely addressed the issue of working conditions development over long periods and the effects of such development on nurses' health.

METHODS

Data from a national cohort of nurses in Sweden (N = 2936) were analysed using a person-centred analytical approach-latent profile and latent transition analysis.

RESULTS

Nurses report better psychosocial working conditions as they progress into mid-career. Shiftworking nurses experience poorer working conditions than their dayworking counterparts and tend to move from shiftwork to daywork as they progress into mid-career. In mid-career, nurses in work environments characterized by low autonomy and support tend to report poorer health outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Current analyses suggest that shiftworking nurses are particularly in need of interventions that address poor work environments. Not only do they experience more negative psychosocial working conditions than their dayworking counterparts, but they do so while having to contend with demanding schedules.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

The findings highlight that organisational interventions should target different aspects of the work environment for nurses in diverse stages of their careers.

Associations of emotional burden and coping strategies with sick leave among healthcare professionals: A longitudinal observational study

OBJECTIVES

To investigate 1) whether care-related regrets (regret intensity, number of recent regrets) are associated with sick leave, independently of personality traits, perceived safety climate, and physical activity; and 2) whether these associations were mediated or moderated by coping strategies.

METHODS

Using a longitudinal international observational study (ICARUS), data were collected by the means of a weekly web survey. Descriptive and generalized estimation equations were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 276 newly practicing healthcare professionals (nurses, physicians, others) from 11 countries were included in this study. The average proportion of weeks with at least one day of sick leave was 3.2%. Nurses' sick leave increased with number of care-related regrets (Relative Risk [RR]=1.52; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]=[1.18; 1.95], p=.001), while physicians' sick leave increased with intensity of care-related regret (RR=1.21; 95%CI=[1.00; 1.21], p=.049). Coping was associated with lower risk of sick leave for nurses (RR _{problem-focused strategies} = 0.53; 95%CI=[0.37; 0.74], p=.001, and RR_{physical activity}=0.68; 95%CI:[0.54; 0.85], p<.001), but not for physicians. Nevertheless, the association of regret with sick leave remained significant even when adjusting for coping. Finally, this study did not find evidence of moderation by the coping strategies.

CONCLUSION

Regrets are associated with increased risks of sick leave, even in young healthcare professionals. Use of coping strategies partially mediated these associations in nurses. The results of this study should be used to inform interventions to reduce emotional burdens and enhance protective coping strategies.

Health Behavior and Health and Psychosocial Planning for Retirement among Spanish Health Professionals

The aging of the workforce among health professionals demands attention to the study of their health behavior before retirement. The aim of the present study is to analyze the relationships between health planning and psychosocial planning—on the one hand—and health professionals’ health behavior, on the other. In addition, we will study the mediator role of public protection, self-insurance, and self-protection in the relationship between planning and health behavior. The sample includes 169 healthcare professionals from a public hospital in Spain. A serial mediation model estimating all of the parameters simultaneously was tested. The findings have confirmed the relationship between health planning and health behavior, as well as the serial mediation of the behaviors in this relationship. As the main causes of death in the Western world are not transmittable diseases, but cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other diseases that are closely linked to lifestyle factors, our findings strongly support that we are responsible for our long-term health status and well-being.

Institutional effects on nurses' working conditions: a multi-group comparison of public and private non-profit and for-profit healthcare employers in Switzerland

BACKGROUND

In response to the need for competitive recruitment of nurses resulting from the worldwide nursing shortage, employers need to attract and retain nurses by promoting their competitive strengths in their working conditions (WCS) and by addressing their competitive weaknesses. This study investigated workplace differences between public hospitals (PuHs), private for-profit hospitals (PrHs), socio-medical institutions (SOMEDs), home care services (HCs), private medical offices (PrOs) and non-profit organisations (NPOs), helping to provide a foundation for competition-oriented institutional employer branding and to increase transparency in the labour market for nurses.

METHODS

Data from the Swiss Nurses at Work study of the career paths of 11 232 nurses who worked in Switzerland between 1970 and 2014 were subjected to secondary analysis, assessing the effect of institutional characteristics on self-reported determinants of job satisfaction (such as WCS) using multivariate linear regression and post hoc tests with Bonferroni-adjusted significance levels. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the number of WCS in the original study.

RESULTS

Nurses at PuHs and PrHs were less likely to experience autonomy, flexibility of work hours and participation in decision-making than those at other workplaces. Although PuHs were rated higher than PrHs in terms of satisfaction with salary and advancement opportunities, they were associated with more alienating work factors, such as stress and aggression. SOMED workplaces were significantly more often associated with alienating conditions and low job satisfaction, but were rated higher than the other institutions in terms of participation in decision-making. The nurses' ratings implied that PrO workplaces were more likely to offer a mild work environment, social support and recognition than other institutions, but that advancement opportunities were limited. NPO workplaces were associated with the highest degree of autonomy, flexibility, participation, recognition, organisational commitment and job satisfaction. In these respects, HC and NPO workplaces received similar ratings, although the HC workplaces were associated with a significantly lower organisational commitment and significantly lower job satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Due to their structural characteristics, NPOs, SOMEDs and HCs can attract nurses seeking greater self-determination, PuHs can attract career-oriented nurses, and PrOs and PrHs are likely to attract nurses through offering less-stressful working conditions.

Impact of CAre-related Regret Upon Sleep (ICARUS) cohort study: protocol of a 3-year multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of novice healthcare professionals

INTRODUCTION

Healthcare professionals are particularly at risk of developing numerous physical and psychological health problems. The experiences of emotional burden associated with providing healthcare, notably care-related regret, have been associated with these health problems, but only using cross-sectional data so far. Evidence of a causal impact of regret has not been assessed. The Impact of CAre-related Regret Upon Sleep (ICARUS) study is the first prospective and international cohort study established to examine how newly practising healthcare professionals adapt to their challenging job by assessing the impact of care-related regret on sleep and job quitting.

METHOD AND ANALYSIS

The ICARUS cohort study will include newly practising healthcare professionals working in acute care hospitals and clinics recruited between May 2017 and November 2019. Data collection, which will begin as soon as the participant starts working with patients, will consist of a 1-year weekly assessment using a secure web survey. Follow-up data will be collected at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after the end of the first year. We will collect detailed information on the experience of care-related regret (ie, highest regret intensity, accumulation of regrets and coping strategies related to regrets), sleep problems and job quitting. Moreover, quality of life, health status and burnout will be assessed during the follow-up. Several confounders factors, including sociodemographic characteristics, personality, night shifts and work environment characteristics, will be assessed.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Geneva Canton, Switzerland (CCER2016-02041), the Ethics Committee of London South Bank University (HSCSEP/17/06) and the University Research Ethics Committee of Bedfordshire (UREC106). Other study centres deemed local ethical approval unnecessary since the main ethics committee (Geneva) had already accepted the project. Results will be published in relevant scientific journals and be disseminated in international conferences. Fully anonymised data and questionnaires will be freely accessible to everyone (scientists and general public).