Understanding registered nurses' career choices in home care services: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The anticipated growth in number of older people with long-term health problems is associated with a greater need for registered nurses. Home care services needs enough nurses that can deliver high quality services in patients' homes. This article improves our understanding of nurses' career choices in home care services. METHODS: A qualitative study using individual semi-structured interviews with 20 registered nurses working in home care services. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analyzed. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in three themes emphasizing the importance of multiple stakeholders and contextual factors, fit with nurses' private life, and meaning of work. The results offer important insights that can be used to improve organizational policy and HR practices to sustain a workforce of registered nurses in home care services. CONCLUSION: The results illustrate the importance of having a whole life perspective to understand nurses' career choices, and how nurses' career preferences changes over time.

Making a career in hospitals: Determinants of registered nurses' aspirations to become a manager.

AIM: To examine seven determinants of Registered Nurses' aspirations to become a manager in four Norwegian public hospitals. BACKGROUND: Research evidence shows that nurses submit few applications to management positions. Understanding the determinants that influence nurses' aspirations to become managers can provide healthcare organizations with important knowledge on the drivers and barriers in recruitment and on the development of nurse managers. DESIGN: This study adopted a cross-sectional web-based survey design. METHOD: Logistic regression analysis based on 2,630 Registered Nurses' responses to a self-completion survey in a Norwegian regional health authority collected during October 2014. The overall response rate was 40%. RESULTS: Findings indicate that men and younger nurses are most likely to report an aspiration in management. The social support of an immediate supervisor and institutional stress are positively associated with an aspiration to become a manager; however, high experienced workloads have the opposite effect. CONCLUSION: Healthcare organizations should work strategically to develop a human resource management policy that ensures that the organization develops the nurse managers it needs now and in the future. IMPACT: This study addresses the challenge of having enough qualified nurse managers. The main findings indicate that job demands can have both a negative and positive impact on nurses' aspirations to become a manager. Healthcare organizations should, however, reduce demands and consider increasing job resources. The results should have an impact on the human resource department, managers, and other key personnel in healthcare organizations.