Work hours and overtime of nurses working in Cambodian hospitals.

AIM: To examine the nature and prevalence of Cambodian nurses' work hours and overtime and related factors BACKGROUND: The chronic shortage of nursing workforce is a major cause of overtime among nurses. INTRODUCTION: Nursing shortage and working overtime among nurses negatively affect nurse and patient outcomes, but nurses' work hours and overtime in Cambodia have not been comprehensively examined. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in four Cambodian hospitals. Data were collected from 253 nurses providing direct nursing care using a questionnaire. The STROBE checklist was used for reporting this study. RESULTS: More than a fifth of staff nurses worked more than 48 h, which is the legal work hour limit in Cambodia. Two major reasons for working mandatory or voluntary overtime, on-call or 24-h on-call were (a) not wanting to let down colleagues and (b) able to get all work done. The number of patients cared for was related to whether or not nurses worked 48 h or more. CONCLUSION: Overtime work and adverse nurse scheduling are common in Cambodia. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Nurse managers and healthcare institutes in Cambodia need to monitor Cambodian nurses' work hours, which are often beyond the legal work hour limit. Moreover, it is important to understand why nurses work overtime and develop health policies, strategies, and programs that can help promote patient and nurse safety and retain qualified nursing staff. The 24-h on-call practice needs to be regulated according to the labor policy in healthcare institutes to prevent adverse nurse and patient outcomes.

Candidates' and policymakers' perspectives on the needs for a master's program in nursing.

BACKGROUND: Quality and safe care requires nurses with advanced knowledge and skills. Cambodia does not have a graduate-level nursing program; therefore, nurses are required to pursue advanced degrees in other countries. However, a master's degree nursing program is being established in this country. OBJECTIVES: To explore the needs of stakeholders in the master's nursing program in Cambodia to establish the curriculum. DESIGN: Students and graduates of Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing were surveyed, and policymakers were interviewed face-to-face. PARTICIPANTS: As candidates for the master's nursing program, 94 undergraduates and 37 graduates participated in the survey, and four policymakers working at the Ministry of Health and Cambodian Council of Nurses were interviewed. METHODS: Descriptive statistics and frequency analyses were utilized for quantitative data and qualitative data were thematically analyzed. RESULTS: All 131 undergraduates and graduates were willing to apply to the master's program in nursing mainly to improve their knowledge and skills. They cited financial burden as a challenge for their study. Their educational demands were closely related to Cambodia's social situation and reflected their aspiration for advanced degrees and to become nursing leaders. The policymakers unanimously agreed on the need for the program and suggested policies and strategies to operate the course and recognize the role of graduates with this qualification. They reinforced that the curriculum should be based on the law, regulation, and policy and reflect Cambodia's current situation by identifying the needs of students and hospital officials and investigating available resources. Their perspectives revealed their expectations for graduates to plan healthcare policies and support them as their coworkers. CONCLUSIONS: The establishment of nursing master's course should be accompanied by a policy to support nursing students. Nursing educators and experienced senior nurses should be included in this policymaking and they must participate in the development of the curriculum. It is suggested to develop an eclectic master's program in nursing that aggregates all opinions of stakeholders.

The challenges and achievements of graduates of the nurse bridging program in Cambodia: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: As the shortage of qualified nurses is one of the primary healthcare issues in Cambodia, a two-year Nurse Bridging Program which grants bachelor's degrees to nurses with associate degrees was introduced. OBJECTIVES: This study explores the challenges and achievements that the graduates experienced during and after the Nurse Bridging Program. DESIGN: A qualitative approach was used in this study. SETTING: The Nurse Bridging Program was conducted in a university in Cambodia from 2015 to 2016. This study was conducted 1 year after the Nurse Bridging Program. PARTICIPANTS: A group of 38 graduates participated in the online survey and 3 graduates participated in a focus group interview. METHODS: Sequential data collection for explanatory follow-up design was used in this study. The data obtained were analyzed using content and thematic analyses. RESULTS: Participants reported challenges such as unfamiliarity with research, difficulty with a foreign language, and shortage of time. They tried to overcome these challenges, and this experience improved their nursing and research competencies, which improved their job prospects and aspirations of further studies. CONCLUSIONS: The Nurse Bridging Program helped the nurses improve the quality of their work and develop their potential as nursing leaders.