Abstract
BackgroundNurses play a significant role in healthcare systems. Their workplace experience can have an impact not only on nurses themselves, but also on patients and organizations, particularly in terms of quality of care and performance. Despite the importance of this experience, it remains an ambiguous concept with varying interpretations. Current studies do not fully capture its complexity, as its multiple dimensions are often considered in isolation. As such, developing a portrait of nurses’ workplace experience that integrates its multiple dimensions can provide decision-makers with better indications regarding what levers can be mobilized to generate positive results for nurses, patients, and organizations.AimTo identify profiles of nurses’ workplace experience in Quebec, Canada.DesignCross sectional.MethodsIn April 2017, 891 nurses participated in this study by completing a self-administered questionnaire. Four dimensions of nurses’ workplace experience were measured: resources available to them in their workplace, personal resources, demands (psychological and physical) placed on them, and outcomes associated with their work. Descriptive and factorial analyses were performed.ResultsThree profiles of nurses’ workplace experience emerged from the factorial analyses: nurses in distress, nurses in moderately positive situations, and nurses in positive situations.ConclusionThe study identified profiles of nurses’ workplace experience that were differentiated based on nurses’ access to workplace resources, the demands of their work, and outcomes. Healthcare managers can use the results to improve the quality of nurses’ workplace experience by improving access to structural work resources and alleviating psychological demands.
Highlights
In healthcare systems, nurses play an essential role, because they are the largest segment of the workforce, and because they perform a range of critical functions at all points along the continuum of care and services
Nurse workplace experience profiles In the first stage of data analysis, the first three axes were selected, as they accounted for 98% of the variance
From the inertia quotients (Q. inertia), a plateau of sorts emerged from the fourprofile classification, but the three-profile classification was retained because it was easier to interpret
Summary
Nurses play an essential role, because they are the largest segment of the workforce, and because they perform a range of critical functions at all points along the continuum of care and services. According to Laschinger et al, empowerment factors include nurses’ access to information, a variety of supports, operating resources, and professional development opportunities [13] These factors offer nurses the ability to mobilize different resources present in their work to facilitate its achievement [14, 15]. Laschinger et al.’s model showed a strong association between empowerment, stress, and satisfaction [13] This perspective emphasizes structural resources as an important dimension of nurses’ workplace experience and links structural resources to outcomes. Recent empirical studies, such as those from the RN4CAST project, have adopted this perspective by focusing on organizational characteristics such as staffing and resource adequacy [18], with increasing evidence showing that these are key factors that impact on nurse retention, burnout among nurses, and patient outcomes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
