Experiential meaning of a decent quality of work life for nurse managers in a university hospital

Abstract

Objective: Successive reorganizations of healthcare system around the globe have placed enormous pressure on the work of nurse managers (NMs) and this has eroded their quality of work life (QWL). However, little is known about the meaning of NMs’ QWL.Aim: Inspired by Watson’s Human Caring Science perspective, this study aimed to describe and understand the meaning of QWL among NMs working in a affiliated-university hospital.Methods: A descriptive phenomenological method the Relational Caring Inquiry (RCI) was conducted to describe and understand the experiential meaning of QWL. This qualitative method was used to collect and analyze data from two semi-structured interviews with 14 NMs in an affiliated-university hospital in Quebec, Canada.Results: The results have identified the following five Eidos themes to describe and understand the experiential meaning of QWL: (1) actualizing leadership and political skills to improve the quality of nursing care; (2) contextual elements conducive to humanization of the organization; (3) organizational support promoting socioprofessional and personal fulfillment; (4) learning culture within the organization to encourage the development of nursing management skills; and (5) personalized support addressing the specific needs of new NMs. For NMs, the essence of the QWL experience is defined as a socioprofessional emancipation of NMs in their clinical-administrative practice in humanist organizations.Conclusions: Taking an organizational humanization perspective, the results reveal sustainable and practical potential strategies aimed at optimizing QWL implementation programs.