| Description |
Understanding how nurses remain in hospital staff nurse positions to practice nursing provides information that can be used in developing programs and practices to increase the stability of the inpatient registered nurse (RN) work force. The purpose of this study was to analyze RN experiences of inpatient nursing and to propose a theory that explained the process of remaining on inpatient medical/surgical units to practice. The major research question was: 'How do RNs manage staying in staff nurse practice positions on inpatient medical/surgical units to practice nursing for periods of 2 years or longer?' This exploratory, descriptive study used grounded theory to guide the research process. Purposive and theoretical sampling, semistructured interviews, and constant comparative analysis provided the mechanisms for participant selection, data generation, and analysis. Participants included 21 RNs from four inpatient medical/surgical units. 'Customizing Practice: Constructing a Practice Milieu' is the substantive theory that emerged as the relationships and dimensions of the core variable (customizing practice), and two major theoretical concepts (negotiating boundaries and positioning) were delimited. This theory is conceptualized as an active, dynamic process in which the nurse designs and constructs a practice based on her personal life needs, professional goals, and perceived professional strengths and limitations. The theory suggests that nurses are concerned with providing care to others and with providing care for themselves as they engage in their nursing work. The theory provides additional insight for increasing staff nurse stability and decreasing staff nurse turnover on inpatient medical/surgical units. |
