Engaging in nursing research is one area of professional practice that nurses need to develop throughout their careers. Nursing research informs clinical practice and is essential to generate the scientific foundation for the nursing profession (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2006). Additionally, nurses have an ethical obligation to participate in scholarly inquiry as mandated in the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses (ANA, 2015). While there is a plethora of evidence detailing the numerous barriers to clinical nurse engagement in nursing research, little exists about what motivates nurses to be interested and/or engaged in research.
Purpose
There were three study purposes: to gain an understanding of what motivates clinical nurses to be interested and/or engaged in research, to describe the motivators of clinical nurses who are interested and/or engaged in research, and to identify the common characteristics of clinical nurses who are interested and/or engaged in research.
Theoretical Framework
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory (Vroom, 1964) guided the study. The framework offers a process model for describing differences in the motivation of individuals and includes three variables which form a multiplicative equation explaining an individual’s motivational force: expectancy (the belief that higher performance leads to better outcomes); instrumentality (or the individual’s belief in their ability to perform well enough in order to receive a desired reward); and valence (which refers to the importance, attractiveness, desirability or anticipated satisfaction with achieving outcomes or the performance of the individual) (Purvis, Zagencyzyk, & McCray, 2015).
Methods
Design: Interpretive, descriptive qualitative.
Participants: Purposive and network sampling of nurses (N = 34) who self-identified as engaged or interested in nursing research activities. The majority were Caucasian, female, employed full-time, and held a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Participants’ ages ranged from 22-61 years and they worked clinically in a variety of settings (e.g., medicine, oncology, emergency, and critical care).
Setting: Three academic hospitals, three community hospitals, and one home health facility.
Data Collection: Individual interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide and transcribed verbatim. Data were saturated.
Analytical Approach: Qualitative content and thematic analysis.
Results
Analysis of the data revealed four themes. Nurses who engage in research activities are motivated by solving problems, feeling empowered, legitimizing the profession, and extending their practice beyond the bedside to its fullest potential. A profile emerged of clinical nurses who are interested and/or engaged in nursing research. The following characteristics constitute the profile: curious, inquisitive, systematic, analytic/data driven, nerdy/geeky, lifelong learner, problem solver; eager to learn and teach others; innovative and collaborative; takes initiative and likely to say “yes”; passionate about improving healthcare processes of care; and personally thrives with intellectual stimulation.
Conclusions & Implications
Organizations need to identify and actively support nurses who fit the inquiry profile rendered by the participants. Nurse leaders are in a prime position to facilitate clinical nurses’ engagement in nursing research by using this information to offer opportunities and design instruction to help nurses process theories, acquire knowledge, new behaviors, and perform new skills. Engaging nurses in more analytical and evaluative thought in problem solving may generate additional scholarly inquiry as well as the perception that the consequences of their work is rewarding.
Clinical nurses who engage in or are interested in nursing research should be encouraged, supported, and provided with opportunities that are of interest to them and that contribute to patient outcomes and the professional growth of the nurse and discipline. Additionally, through research engagement, nurses are able to have a voice and contribute equally at the intradisciplinary table thus adding to healthcare through the nursing lens. Leaders are in positions to assist clinical nurses to ignite their passion for and engage in nursing research activities.