Abstract
While moonlighting is so prevalent amongst critical care nurses, there are no documented facts in this country about how it affects the nurses and the hospital management, considering the nature of their work that is both physically, mentally and emotionally strenuous. The aim of this study was to explore the critical care nurses' rationale and experiences regarding holding a second job (moonlighting). A non-experimental exploratory study was done using focus groups. Many positive and less positive experiences were revealed, for example, economical, educational, and psychosocial ones. Participatory control of moonlighting activity was suggested involving both management and staff at functional level.
Highlights
Holding a second job or moonlighting has become prevalent amongst nurses especially critical care nurses
Half of the four hundred and sixty nine (469) nurses on the register of one of the four nursing agencies recruiting and supplying nurses for moonlighting in Durban are identified as critical care nurses, because of the demand for the nurses of this specialty in the private hospitals
The government, as the em ployer in the public sector, is not being ready to compete with the private institutions in terms of incentives to retain nurses in the public sector (Sunday Tribune, 1999:2)
Summary
Holding a second job or moonlighting has become prevalent amongst nurses especially critical care nurses. Barnhart and Barnhart (1989) define it as the practice of holding or working at a second job, usually at night, in addition to a regular daytime job It seems that the definition depends on the context in which it is used because Urbach (1994:794) defines it as an extracurricular employment in relation to academic pro grammes. Session work describes that type of moonlighting by nurses who are not recruited by nursing agencies but are listed di rectly in the hospital for call on a regular basis, according to need. These nurses may be part of the hospital staff doing something like overtime or may be listed with the agen cies (Personal interview, SA Nursing Services: 1999). Critical Care Nurses are all registered nurses working in Critical Care Units who have had experience with moonlight ing either directly or indirectly
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