The research study on "Nurses' views on which factors cause nurse absenteeism in a selected hospital, Durban, South Africa", was conducted utilizing a quantitative, non-experimental, simple survey design. The study was conducted at a provincial hospital in Durban. There were sixty nurses, which were involved in the study. The nurse study sample comprised ten Registered Nurses on day duty and ten Registered Nurses on night duty; ten Enrolled Nurses on day duty and ten Enrolled Nurses on night duty; ten Enrolled Nurse Assistants on day duty and ten Enrolled Nurse Assistants on night duty. Nurses consented to be apart of the study, following completion of the study questionnaire, The study was guided by the conceptual framework by Taunton, Hope Woods and Bott. (1995: 218). Independent variables of the nurse, nurse manager, work and organization and their associated characteristics were the main aspects of the study. These were investigated using separate methods of closed-ended and open-ended questions, to determine factors that caused absenteeism. The closed-ended questions consisted of questions to either responses of either an agree or disagree. There were open-ended, simple survey, questions. Statistical methods of A Exact Binomial Test of Significance were used to analyze the quantitative data of the closed-ended data collected. Content analysis, using a coding technique, with descriptive analysis techniques of frequency counts and frequency distributions, were utilized for data analysis for the open-ended data collected. There emerged many reasons for nurse absenteeism, employing two research designs, some of which were unknown until this research was complete and some reasons, which were known but now emphasized. Once the hospital management view upon all reasons for nurse absenteeism, there can possibly an understanding of nurse absenteeism, reducing nurse absenteeism and allowing for a better-managed workforce. / Theses--Nursing. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

The purpose of this study was to examine burnout in the critical care nurse. One hundred-eighty eight nurses employed at Community Hospitals of Indiana were surveyed to determine the relationship between burnout, level of expertise and social support systems. Frequency and intensity of burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Social support systems were measured by the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire. Level of expertise was determined by question 1 of the demographic questionnaire length of time employed as a critical care nurse.Findings of this study revealed no significant differences in level of expertise related to intensity and frequency of burnout (F= .232). Results of ANOVA indicated the sampled nurses experienced a low to average degree of burnout for both frequency and intensity of burnout. Similarly using Pearson correlate there was no relationship between level of support systems and frequency also concluded that level of support systems did not and intensity of burnout (novice, p= -.23; competent, p= .11; expert, p= .07). Conclusions of this study indicated level of expertise was not a factor in determining intensity and frequency of burnout.It was burnout need to be readily available for all nurses in influence intensity and frequency of burnout in the novice, competent or expert critical care nurse.Implications indicate that preventative measures for critical care settings. Other implications were that nursing support systems may not be an effective strategy for burnout prevention and resources may need to focus on other strategies. / School of Nursing

This study describes how new graduate nurses learn to practice in a trauma setting. The research questions focused on how new graduate nurses learn the skills necessary to work in a trauma setting, what were the best methods of introducing new graduate nurses to performing nursing interventions in a trauma setting, and how can this learning be facilitated. The grounded theory research approach was used. The sample was drawn from a population of emergency room nurses working in a level one trauma center. The core category that emerged from the data was overcoming anxiety. Working in a trauma setting is an anxiety provoking experience. New graduate nurses used learning as a method of overcoming the anxiety faced in this setting. Learning methods included observing, discussing, practicing, and rehearsing. Preceptors, mentors, and models helped new graduates learn. Learning took place in three areas: psychomotor learning, conceptual learning, and self-learning. / School of Nursing

The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceived anxiety experienced by coronary care nurses working eight- and 12-hour work shifts. It was hypothesized that length of shift work affects the before- and after-shift anxiety for nurses working eight- or 12-hour work shifts. Anxiety differences between the eight- and 12-hour work shifts were examined as well as differences between the before- and after-shift anxiety for each length of shift.Thirty-two (32) coronary care nurses from a general medical and surgical hospital in the Midwest volunteered to participate in the research. The sample consisted of all females (18 Registered Nurses, nine Licensed Practical Nurses, three charge nurses, a supervisory nurse, and a rehabilitation nurse). The nurses had voluntarily selected the eight- or 12-hour length of shift work and understood that they would be committed towork that shift for one year. Twelve nurses worked the eight-hour shift; 20 nurses chose the new 12-hour shift.The State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) was used to measure the nurses' before- and after-shift anxiety. Baseline data were collected from the nurses prior to the initiation of the 12-hour shift. The Box-Jenkins Time Series Analysis was used to analyze the daily before- and after-shift anxiety scores and to establish a forecasted trend for both the eight- and 12-hour shifts.The first finding was that the before-shift anxiety scores for the eight-hour workers declined, while the anxiety scores for the 12-hour workers increased, following the implementation of the 12-hour shift. The same trend was forecast for the after-shift anxiety scores. The eight-hour nurses' after-shift anxiety scores declined while the 12-hour nurses' anxiety scores increased. A transfer function was conducted for both the eight-hour and 12-hour before- and after-shift anxiety scores. No predictive trend could be established for the eight-hour anxiety scores; however, the 12-hour after-shift anxiety scores were found to be consistently higher than before-shift anxiety scores. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Stress is a construct that has received a great deal of attention in both the scientific and popular literature. particular type of job related stress experienced by human service professionals is burnout. If effective coping strategies to minimize or avoid burnout are present, one's job can remain interesting and challenging. However, if coping strategies are ineffective or absent, the consequences can negatively affect job performance and satisfaction. This study used the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, and a demographic questionnaire to assess perceived burnout, the relative utilization of three coping styles (Task, Emotion, and Avoidance), and general background information, respectively, among 163 nurses in a 600+ bed midwestern, urban hospital. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between these three coping styles and the perception of burnout. The results showed no significant differences in burnout for any of the demographic variables studied. However, there were significant differences in burnout among the 14 hospital units evaluated. In addition when specific demographic variables and unit of primary assignment were controlled statistically, those nurses who utilized more emotion oriented coping styles reported the highest amount of burnout. There were no unit by coping style interactions found. Finally, suggestions for future research and recommedations for trainers and employers of nurses are provided. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Nurses are confronted with numerous work-related stressors that can result in burnout. This can contribute to absenteeism and high turn-over rates in the nursing profession. A review of the literature indicated that psycho-educational interventions to increase resilience could be an effective way of addressing this problem. The study aimed to develop a positive clinical-psychology approach to increasing resilience in State employed nurses. The study used a mixed-method approach to determine the current psychological functioning of a sample of 87 nurses. Quantitative data on personality traits, character strengths and levels of resilience were obtained, using the NEO PI-R, VIA – IS, and Resilience Scale. Qualitative data on the coping responses of nurses were obtained through the thematic analysis of focus groups. These data were integrated to create a positive clinical psychology conceptualisation of resilience and to develop therapeutic guidelines for a group psycho-educational intervention. The results of the study indicated a struggling psychological profile. This was defined as the ability to deal with work-related stressors – but with the potential risk of developing symptoms of burnout. The moderate levels of resilience were attributed to elevated character strengths in the sample. The distribution of personality traits indicated that the nurses in the sample were at risk of developing burnout; and this prevented them from flourishing. These data were synthesised to create therapeutic guidelines for developing resilience aimed: (1) increasing emotional stability and invulnerability; (2) increasing agreeableness; and (3) increasing conscientiousness. These guidelines were based on the personality traits that were deemed to negatively impact the resilience of the nurses. These personality traits were correlated with several character strengths that displayed strong relationships with resilience. This indicated that resilience could be developed through the cultivation of the following character strengths: perspective; perseverance; fairness; forgiveness; leadership; love; zest; hope; curiosity; and appreciation of beauty and excellence. These character strengths were identified to facilitate the positive adaptation of the personality traits identified in the therapeutic guidelines. A group psycho-educational intervention was developed, using the positive clinical psychology conceptualisation of resilience. The literature was reviewed to identify techniques to cultivate the ten character strengths specified in the therapeutic guidelines. These techniques were adapted to create experiential learning processes for the intervention. This psycho-educational programme can be applied as a secondary and tertiary intervention. It can be used to increase resilience to prevent burnout among nurses. It can also be used to psychologically empower nurses that have existing symptoms of burnout.

A person’s career takes up a large portion of his or her life for a minimum of 8 hours per day. A large portion of their time is spent performing their duties which are often accompanied by various demands or pressure that can result in an employee experiencing stress. Over time this build-up of stress due to job demands affects their ability to perform at work. This study aimed to identify, explore and describe the factors that facilitate the resilience of healthcare professionals working at a Campus Health Service at a Higher Education Institution. An exploratory descriptive study consisting of a qualitative nature was employed. Data was obtained from semi-structured interviews. The questions that were posed to participants read as follows: (1) “Tell me about the demands placed on you in your current work situation”, (2) “How do you cope with the demands placed on you?”, (3) “What can be done to assist you to cope better at work?”, and lastly (4) “Any additional questions/comments?”. The fourth question was added by the researcher in order for participants to have the opportunity to add to what they have said previously. Data was gathered until data saturation was reached. Tesch’s model of content analysis as well as Guba’s model of trustworthiness was employed, in order to analyse the data. An independent coder was subsequently employed to ensure the trustworthiness of the data. The findings revealed that all participants found workplace demands to be stressful, in terms of physical, emotional and time-related demands placed on them. Participants identified strategies that could help them cope with their demands such as open air activities, debriefing with colleagues or making use of a wellness line, maintaining a positive attitude, support from management and colleagues, the ability to practice initiative and autonomous decision-making, and lastly, religious practices. In addition, participants made recommendations on how employers can help relieve their stress. The recommendations included developing an in-house wellness programme, providing sufficient staff of the correct categories, providing adequate facilities and equipment to improve efficiency, providing developmental opportunities, scheduling training programmes for less busy times of the year, and lastly, introducing elements of structured flexi-time for employees.

M.Cur. (Nursing Management) / The largest and most expensive asset of any health care institution is its human resources. Mol [1984 : 1J quite correctly says that no organization can reach its full potential when these resources are not utilized effectively. The researcher has noticed certain behavior patterns amongst the nursing staff in intensive care units. These behaviour patterns include an increase in staff turnover and absenteeism. The question that arose was whether it could be ascribed to professional burnout and whether nursing managers could be contributing to the cause thereof. Th. burnout syndrome is a slowly developing psychologically destructive process, which is in relation to the effect the work environment· has on the individual. The consequences of professional burnout has many negative effects on the nurse, ·the patient, the profession and the health care delivery system. The concept of professional burnout is described with reference from the literature and by means·of a survey the following was determined, that:- all nurses working in intensive care units in the hospital were the research was conducted, had experienced symptoms of professional burnout; the majority of these nurses perceive their work situation as severely stressful; and - nursing managers are overwhelmingly applying the autocratic leadership style. Some of the important conclusions culminating from this study are that:- all these nurses experience one or other degree of professional burnout as a result of experiences resulting from unresolved stress in the work environment; and the nursing manager possibly uses ineffective management strategies due to a lack of management training, thus contributing to professional burnout.

The observed high turnover of nursing staff in some public hospitals in Luanda was assumed to give rise to staff shortages, resulting in work overload for the remaining nurses and poor service delivery. The aim of this study was to determine the reasons for the high turnover of nurses in public hospitals in the city of Luanda, and to determine the actual turnover over a two-year period. The researcher adopted a quantitative approach with an exploratory and descriptive design, using a questionnaire for data collection from a sample of 100 respondents consisting of the Directors of Nursing, Directors of Human Resources and Heads of Departments (ward/units) in seven public hospitals. The study found that the most common reasons for the resignation of nurses were retirement, ill health, and better remuneration and working conditions elsewhere. Lack of motivation could be ascribed to the perceived low remuneration, insufficient supplies and equipment, being overworked due to staff shortages, unsafe working environment and poor conditions of service. Recommendations were made to tackle these issues. It was however not possible to determine the actual extent of nurses resigning from the public hospitals. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis developed by the author which states that most of the variation in nurses' anxiety when dealing with HIV/AIDS patients can be explained by the combination of the variables Knowledge on HIV, Judgement of Risk, Homophobia, Death Anxiety and Perceived Social Support. 72 nurses representing two state hospitals and one private hospital volunteered to participate in the study, and completed questionnaires. Contrary to the findings in the literature study, the nurses in the sample were not found to be reluctant or anxious when caring for HIV/AIDS patients. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the hypothesis is confirmed, that the independent variables explain some variation (R = 0.649) in the dependent variable to a significant degree. There are indications that uninvestigated variables are however also at play, and should be considered for future research. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)