NEWS

New study shows nurses in military medical centers report high workplace satisfaction

By SUNNY SMITH NELSON
UNC School of Nursing

CHAPEL HILL -- Despite the ill effects of the current nursing shortage, nurses in military medical centers report higher than average levels of workplace satisfaction and clinical expertise, a new study led by a retired military nurse and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor shows.

The finding is significant, because the workplace environment’s influence on nurses has been shown to affect patient care, the researchers said.

Retired U.S. Army Col. Barbara Jo Foley of the UNC School of Nursing and colleagues studied 103 military and civilian nurses in two military medical centers to learn the characteristics that defined the professional lives of the nurses and their workplace environment.

Age, sex, race, highest level of nursing education, years of clinical experience, type of unit, certifications and courses were recorded for the 100 nurses who replied to questionnaires.

Factors including perceived autonomy, control over practice, nurse-physician relationships and level of clinical expertise were examined to determine the level of workplace satisfaction. The Nursing Work Index-Revised and the Manifestations of Early Recognition scales were used to quantify responses.

Researchers found that scores for all the factors were well above midpoint for respondents as a group – indicating a positive work environment – and believe that characteristics central to the military medical center environment were defining factors in the levels of workplace satisfaction.

These characteristics included officer status for all registered nurses, relocation every few years that encouraged the learning of new skills and a workforce that held a higher proportion of bachelor’s and master’s of science in nursing degrees than their civilian counterparts.

Civilian nurses working in the military centers were generally older and reported higher levels of clinical experience, according them the confidence that rank and degrees gave their younger, more educated military counterparts.

A continuation of the study will be funded by TriService Nursing Research Program, the same source for the original study, and will explore how military medical centers compare to civilian medical centers in workplace satisfaction for nurses.

The goal of the study, researchers said, is to help military medical administrators determine which nursing care elements are most beneficial to military nurses and which elements need refinement.

The study will be the first of its kind in nursing administration research.

"We hope the results of this study teach us which nursing structures and processes support optimal patient outcomes," said Foley.

Other researchers involved in the study include Drs. Carolyn C. Kee and Ptlene Minick of Georgia State University; Dr. Susan S. Harvey of Queens College in Charlotte, N.C.; and Col. Bonnie M. Jennings of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs-TRICARE Management Activity of Washington, D.C.

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Note: Foley can be reached at (919) 966-3638 or bfoley@email.unc.edu.

School of Nursing contact: Sunny Smith Nelson at (919) 966-1412