Research into the quality of life of nurses
working at night has received scant attention to
date. Apart from studies relating to changes in
circadian rhythms of night nurses, very few other
aspects of the complex adaptive process have been
given serious consideration. Yet, knowledge of
that adaptive process is a prerequisite for the
selection of staff, and for the design of an
appropriate educational programme and staff
development strategy.
This study looks first at methods of describing
the quality of life in general, in order to aim at
criteria for evaluation which do not impose the
conventional position that day work is proper work.
In the light of these criteria, preconceptions and
limitations which surround shift work in general
are identified and discussed. Night nurses as a
group are then subjected to a more intensive examination,
including a theoretical review; a survey
of a population of one-hundred and sixty-one night
nurses and selected interviews; and an account of
a pilot study of a potential curriculum.
Results of the survey indicate that nurses who
show a preference for night work and who selfselect
these hours on a permanent basis are more
likely to derive challenge from and express greater
satisfaction with their work, than those on alternative
day and night shifts. Further, there is a
stable population of workers who choose night work
above all other options as a source of personal
satisfaction, freedom and challenge. In the light
of these findings, recommendations are made as to
the selection, education and development of
hospital night staff.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/218855 |
| Date | January 1983 |
| Creators | Coughlin-West, V., n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright V. Coughlin-West |
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