Learning Objective #1: Understand the research methodology and research methods of symbolic interactionism

Learning Objective #2: Better understand the dimensions and structure of the meanings attributed to the morale of registered nurses

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There is an essential contradiction underlying nursing where, despite the achievements of the last twenty years,low morale pervades the profession. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of registered nurses and how those experiences construct morale. The objectives were twofold: first, to generate an understanding of nursing morale within a rapidly changing working context and second, to further our methodological and theoretical understandings of the concept of nursing morale. In this symbolic interactionist study, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven registered nurses who were working in south east Queensland and undertaking postgraduate university studies. A grounded theory method of analysis was applied to the research data. What emerged from the analysis was a conceptualisation of the key category: the struggle to care. This category describes a fundamental tension between the professional claims of nursing and the realities of the nursing workplace. The analysis seeks to explicate the ways in which this tension manifests within the workplace, institutional and social dimensions of nursing work. The findings challenge prevailing management models that seek to address staff development and staff morale. The key implication is that nursing morale is at once a contextual and broader social issue.