Coming and staying: a qualitative exploration of Registered Nurses’ experiences working in nursing homes

Abstract

Aim. This paper reports on a qualitative study that explored the reasons why Registered Nurses (RNs) chose to work in nursing homes in Southern Ontario, Canada and what factors attracted them to remain. Background. There is a paucity of information about factors associated with the recruitment and retention of RNs within long-term care (LTC) in Canada. As the population of older people is growing in Canada and elsewhere, it is essential that we better understand what attracts RNs to work and remain in this setting. Design and method. A case study approach was used in this study of nine RNs working in three nursing homes. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. Findings. Six sub-themes were identified: 'Job of Choice', 'Job of Convenience', 'Caring for the Residents', 'A Supportive Environment', 'Heavy Workload' and 'Supervisory Role of the RN'. Conclusion. Nurses chose to work in the nursing home because it was a 'Job of Convenience'. However, characteristics of the organizational environment played a major role in their remaining. Also, the caring relationship with residents played a role in the nurses remaining in this setting. Relevance to clinical practice. Strategies are provided that nurse managers may consider when planning recruitment and retention activities for LTC settings.

Determinants of regulated nurses' intention to stay in long-term care homes

“…, McGilton ). Although previous work suggests that the caring relationships between nursing staff and residents are a factor in nursing staff retention in LTC (Prentice & Black ), these relationships have not been adequately accounted for in other research on nurses’ intent to stay conducted in LTC settings. In addition, few studies have differentiated between intention to stay predictors for RNs and RPNs in these environments, which is crucial given the changing and blurring of these roles within LTC facilities (Allen & Mellor ).…”

Nursing staff intentions towards managing deteriorating health in nursing homes: A convergent parallel mixed‐methods study using the theory of planned behaviour

“…This observation can be understood by taking into account the homelike environment in the nursing home setting, where strong relationships amongst staff, residents and their families develop over time. Developing caring relationships contributes to job satisfaction (King et al., ) and is often what keeps nurses working in nursing homes (Prentice & Black, ). This helps to explain why subjective norm has been previously identified as having a significant influence on nurses’ intentions (Dwyer, ; Kortteisto, Kaila, Komulainen, Mantyranta, & Rissanen, ; Nelson, Cook, & Ingram, ), particularly in regard to patient safety behaviours (Javadi, Kadkhodaee, Yaghoubi, Maroufi, & Shams, ).…”

Meningsfullt arbeid på sykehjem. Erfarne sykepleieres perspektiv

“…Varierte arbeidsdager, godt arbeidsmiljø (9) og mulighet til medbestemmelse og samarbeid (10) ansees også som betyd ningsfullt. Sykepleierne frem hever selvstendighet i arbeidet, samarbeidet med legetjenesten (11) samt muligheten til å yte god omsorg overfor både pasienter og pårørende (5,9,11,12).…”

“…Det vil vaere mange og sammensatte faktorer som kan påvirke syke pleiere til å velge sykehjemmet som arbeidsplass. Lønn, alterna tive arbeidsplasser og arbeidstid er faktorer som kan spille en rolle (9). Denne artikkelen fokuserer på hvilke sider ved sykehjems arbeidet som gir mening for de sykepleierne som har arbeidet lenge i sykehjem.…”