Nurse managers' perceptions of their work and their effects on outcomes

Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-43)Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how nurse managers view their work. This study will answer the following 4 research questions: (1) Can nurse managers classify themselves among the job, career, or calling distinctions? (2) Are the job, career, or calling distinctions of nurse managers stable over time? (3) Are there differences in the demographic, professional, and organizational characteristics among the work views? (4) What are the effects of viewing one's work as a job, career, or calling on individual nurse manager outcomes and organizational outcomes? Background: When nurses are asked the question "Why did you enter the nursing profession" the answer often includes the term "calling." But what does "calling" really mean? There are three distinct relations people can have to their work: as jobs, as careers, and as callings. People who view their work as jobs perceive working as a way to receive material benefits while people who view their work as a career are deemed to have a more personal investment in their work and mark their achievement not only through direct material benefits but also through advancement within their organization. Finally, people who perceive their work to be a calling find deep personal fulfillment by doing their work. Unfortunately, there has been little research that explores the relationship among the job-career- calling distinctions and demographic, professional, or organizational attributes and outcomes in the nursing administration context, whether these distinctions are stable over time, and what role these distinctions play in the recruitment and retention of nurse managers. Methods: A total of 284 managers responded to an anonymous online survey as part of an IRB approved study in the Fall of 2010. The survey included items that captured the job, career, and calling distinctions. Nurses were asked 83 additional questions that covered various demographic and professional attributes, organizational features, and outcomes such as work satisfaction, intent to leave, stress, and burnout. ANOVA and regression techniques were utilized to explore the relationships among the nurse manager attributes and outcomes found for each of the job, career, and calling distinctions. Results: Nurse managers with a calling distinction were found to be less likely to intend to leave their current employment and were less likely to be burnt out personally, by their work, or by their patients. In addition, the calling nurses tended to be employed in work environments that offered more autonomy, more social supports, more participation in decision making, and less organizational constraints. Similar results were found for nurse managers who shifted from a calling distinction to a more career or job oriented distinction