Population: The population for this study was professional registered nurses currently working in acute and community care settings. The community care settings consisted of both home health and community nurses. While, the acute care nurses worked in the hospital setting.

Concept of variables studied: The concept of role transition and themes derived from role change/ role strain such as autonomy, education, and practice based career change are investigated.

Methods: This qualitative case study investigation consisted of voluntary participants purposely selected by the investigator. Tape-recorded interviews were segmented and divided into meaningful units for coding of relationships among concepts.

Findings: The data findings were divided into four categories with related themes. The categories included autonomy, family, education, and community nursing as work.

Conclusions: Many nurses experience role change within their nursing career. These participants were able to successfully transition their nursing practice into community care. However, many of the participants were unprepared for the conceptual and emotional transitions as well as human resource constraints.

Implications: Decisions related to curriculum content should focus on the basic competencies needed for a generalist nurse. Curriculum content focused on role perception, role strain, self-esteem, and decision making would help to facilitate a broader perception of nursing roles therefore developing a greater understanding and support of each others expertise and ways of knowing.

Back to Public Health/Community Health Nursing
Back to 15th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004