Retaining older hospital nurses: Experienced hospital nurses' perceptions of new roles.

AIM: The purpose of this study was to explore older, experienced hospital clinical nurses' perceptions of new roles in hospital clinical practice as they age. BACKGROUND: With older hospital nurses continuing to retire, and other older nurses leaving hospitals for other practice settings, both tacit knowledge and institutional wisdom are lost. Retention of experienced nurses is needed for safe, quality patient care and to ensure there are sufficient mentors for newly licensed nurses entering the workforce. METHODS: Using a descriptive qualitative design, a total of twenty experienced hospital clinical nurses aged 50 or older from four hospitals participated in five focus groups. RESULTS: Noting barriers to continuing hospital practice as they age, participants described important roles in teaching patients and families, acting as patient advocates, and mentoring the next generation of nurses. CONCLUSION: Retaining experienced nurses in the workforce requires innovative approaches, including the redesigning of roles and increased attention to work hours and the physical demands of nursing practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The perspectives provided by older nurses may assist managers in creating innovative ways to re-envision roles for older nurses, develop flexible scheduling, and provide additional ergonomic and technology support.

Hospital nurses' lived experience of power.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore hospital nurses' lived experience of power. DESIGN: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach informed by Merleau-Ponty's philosophy of the phenomenology of perception was used to further an understanding of nurses' embodiment of power. Fourteen hospital clinical nurses employed in intensive care units and on medical floors in two major medical centers in the northeastern United States participated in 1-hr semistructured interviews about their lived experience of power. FINDINGS: A hermeneutic analytic approach and reflexive (cultural) bracketing produced three relational themes of power: (a) knowing my patients and speaking up for them; (b) working to build relationships that benefit patients; and (c) identifying my powerful self. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital clinical nurses develop a sense of power. Nurses believe power develops through acquisition of knowledge, experience, and self-confidence; this process is enhanced by exposure to good mentors. Nurses use their power to build relationships and advocate for patients. They consciously use power to improve patient care. Nurses' voices need to be heard and acknowledged. To do this in the clinical setting and beyond, hospital nurses must invite themselves or find ways to be invited into the authoritative discourse of hospital organizations. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Nurses use their power to advocate for positive outcomes for patients and families. The satisfaction that comes from these positive relationships may improve nurses' perceptions of their work environment. Nurses' understanding and use of sociopolitical knowing needs further study, so that nurses may understand how to participate in current and future debates and decisions about our changing healthcare delivery systems and services.

Technology-Enhanced Health Promotion for College Students: A Seed Development Project.

Obesity is an issue for young adults in the U.S. This population is particularly vulnerable to weight gain as they move from adolescence to young adulthood, especially as they transition from high school to college. Adopting a health promotion approach, a university-based cluster of researchers, community advocates, and a technology partner embarked on a two-year seed development project that focused on development, implementation, and evaluation of a web-based healthy lifestyle intervention for college students. Using a mixed-method design, two convenience samples of residential university students were recruited to participate in a 4-week intervention called Eat, Move, Live, in which they interacted with a newly-created comprehensive website about management of a healthy lifestyle. Participants' post-intervention readiness for change increased by 15% (eating and life balance behaviors) to 23% (moving behaviors). Participants reported increased awareness of eating behaviors, and feelings of engagement in tracking their fruit and vegetable consumption. Findings suggest that technology may be utilized to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of achieving students' individual goals related to healthy living. These preliminary findings have implications for increasing the development and implementation of technological approaches to health promotion for young adult students.