The nurses' clinical environment belongingness and professional identity: The mediating role of professional values

Assessing the relationship between happiness and professional autonomy among clinical nurses: an analytical cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Clinical nurses' well-being is crucial for enhancing their performance and the quality of patient care. Understanding the factors influencing nurses' happiness, including professional autonomy, is essential in addressing workplace stress and dissatisfaction.

AIMS

This study aims to investigate the relationship between happiness and professional autonomy among clinical nurses, providing insights that can help improve job satisfaction and patient care.

METHODS

An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Ardabil, Iran, involving 270 nurses selected through stratified sampling from May to December 2022. Data were collected using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and the Dempster Professional Autonomy Scale. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS.

RESULTS

The mean happiness score was 65.62 (SD = 14.11), with 70% of nurses reporting acceptable to high happiness levels. The mean professional autonomy score was 94.72 (SD = 13.17). A significant positive correlation was found between happiness and professional autonomy (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). Work experience and income satisfaction were also associated with higher happiness levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that enhancing professional autonomy can increase nurses' happiness. Creating supportive work environments that promote autonomy is essential for improving nurse well-being and the overall quality of healthcare delivery.

Evaluation index system of core competence of Traditional Chinese Medicine nurse specialists: A qualitative evidence synthesis

BACKGROUND

Traditional Chinese Medicine nurse specialists, as the nursing team's core, crucially enhance service quality and spread Traditional Chinese Medicine culture, so strengthening their training based on core competencies is vital for advancing Traditional Chinese Medicine nursing internationally.

AIM

Integration of the core competency evaluation indexes of Traditional Chinese Medicine nurse specialists in different geographical regions.

DESIGN

A qualitative systematic review and evidence synthesis.

METHODS

6 English and 4 Chinese databases were systematically searched for studies related to the core competencies of Traditional Chinese Medicine nurse specialists. The JBI critical appraisal tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included literature. The extracted data were thematically integrated using Thomas and Harden's three-stage framework.

RESULTS

The review included 16 studies. The results can be summarized into 3 themes, 7 categories and 21 items. The themes included personality structure (personal qualities, professional qualities), competency structure (professional development competence, general personal competence, organizational and managerial competence) and knowledge structure (professional knowledge and skills, healthcare ethics and regulations).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study have practical implications for the development of training and assessment programs for Traditional Chinese Medicine nurse specialists, providing a more comprehensive and systematic framework to guide professional development. It will be further applied to the training of Traditional Chinese Medicine nurse specialists in the future, serving to enhance the core competitiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine nurse specialists and promote the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine nursing.