| Learning Objective #1: Understand how work environments differ for nurses in oncology units versus other medical surgical units | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Examine the effect of ANCC Magnet Accreditation on the nurse work environment |
Objective: Magnet hospitals - hospitals that retain and attract nurses – report superior outcomes. This study examined the nurse work environment (NWE) by oncology nurses and non-oncology nurses in magnet hospitals.
Design: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study (R01-NINR-02280).
Population, Sample, Setting, Years: Twenty magnet hospitals participated in the study; Thirteen identified in 1983 (reputational), and 7 recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) between 1994-1998. From 1998-1999, nurses providing direct care on medical and surgical units were anonymously surveyed. Of 4,085 surveys distributed, 2287 usable responses were received.
Variables: NWE was measured by five subscales of the PES-NWI; Nurse Participation in Hospital Affairs (participation), Nursing Foundations for Quality (foundations), Nurse Manager Ability (manager), Staffing and Resource Adequacy (staffing), and Collegial Nurse-Physician Relationships (relations). Nurses worked in oncology (ONC) or non-oncology units (NON), and in reputational or ANCC hospitals.
Methods: T-tests on the subscales compared: 1) 95 ONCs versus 714 NONs in 12 reputational hospitals; and 2) 156 ONCs in 7 ANCC magnets versus 95 ONCs in 12 reputational hospitals (One reputational hospital had no ONCs).
Findings: 1) ONCs rated their NWE poorer on all subscales (NS). ONCs reported poorer staffing (p < .05), and better relations (p < .05) than NONs. 2) ONCs in ANCC hospitals had higher scores on all subscales. Participation, staffing, and foundations were significantly higher (p < .01).
Conclusions: Oncology and non-oncology nurses had different assessments of their NWE. ONCs in ANCC hospitals reported more favorable work environments than ONCs in reputational hospitals. Staffing adequacy was poor for all nurses, and all oncology nurses had good physician relations.
Implications: ANCC recognition validates the presence of professional NWEs for nurses. Nurses benefit from investments in professional practice models. Future research should identify patient and nurse outcomes from magnet recognition, controlling for nursing specialty.
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Back to 14th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
10-12 July 2003