Background and Article Introduction
Being a nurse might seem a fairly simple task, yet numerous roles and responsibilities that one must assume require not only high proficiency levels but also impressive emotional resilience and the ability to handle considerable stress. In their study, Eley, Eley, and Rogers-Clark (2010) explore the reasons for people to become nurses, as well as the factors that make them abandon nursing. Set in the environment of a regional nursing school, the study considers both external and internal factors.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the outcomes of the research conducted by Eley et al. (2010) and determine the factors that define one’s choice to become a nurse and leave the profession. The outcomes of the article analysis will shed light on how the environment in which nurses’ work can be improved. As a result, retention levels in the specified area will rise significantly.
According to the information presented by the authors of the study, people tend to define their choice in nursing career roughly at the age of 30. Among the reasons for choosing the specified career, the willingness to help others, as well as self-interest, is mentioned most often, according to the authors of the research. Similarly, most participants were unanimous in their description of the reasons for leaving, pointing to disillusionment as the key factor (Eley et al., 2010).
Research Question
The focus of the study is primarily on the factors that contribute to people’s consideration of nursing as their career choice and the further refusal to work in the specified area. While the specified question may be viewed as rather broad, it allows exploring a plethora of social, economic, financial, cultural, and even technological issues that shape people’s decisions in the realm of 21st-century healthcare. For instance, the fact that Millennials have recently entered the realm of the labor market points to the necessity to consider the impact of technology, which defines the very existence of Generation Y, as one of the forces that shape people’s decisions as far as nursing is concerned.
Furthermore, it seems that the choice of the research question has been influenced heavily by the rise in the levels of diversity within communities (Banerjee et al., 2016). According to recent studies, with the increase in the number of patients from the cultural backgrounds that are different from the rest of the community members, nurses have been experiencing significant difficulties adapting to patients’ culture-specific demands (Kuwano, Lee, Jang, & Fukuda, 2017). Therefore, the specified issue may also have affected the change in nurses’ choices to quit.
Research Design
According to the description provided by Eley et al. (2015), a quantitative cross-sectional cohort design was used to conduct the study. Put differently, the authors of the research explored the problem of nurses leaving the profession from the perspective of an observational study. The identified framework can be regarded as legitimate in the identified scenario since it allows exploring the causes of a particular phenomenon from several perspectives. In addition, the suggested framework provides extensive opportunities for determining the connection between the factors that are identified in the course of the research. Finally, the opportunity for considering the problem through the lens of a longitudinal approach deserves to be listed among the key advantages of the selected research design. By studying how the issue develops over time, one can determine a general tendency and, thus, locate a viable solution to the problem of nursing staff retention.
Nevertheless, it would be erroneous to assume that the proposed tool is entirely flawless. A cross-sectional cohort design also has its flaws, which may hinder the further analysis. For example, the information collected for a cross-sectional cohort study may be insufficient for drawing a complete cause-and-effect connection between research variables. Thus, the use of the specified research design implies a certain degree of generalization.
Sample: Description
The authors of the research selected all 800 participants as the sample size for the research (Eley et al., 2010). The specified solution can be considered as legitimate since the confidence interval was set at 0.05 (Eley et al., 2010). The choice of the sample size is also justified by the fact that the research method selected for the study does not allow representing target demographics in great detail. Quite the contrary, as explained above, the use of the cross-sectional cohort study implies overlooking some of the unique characteristics of patients, thus, leading to comparatively generalized outcomes (Dooley et al., 2016). Therefore, by choosing all 800 participants for the sample size, Eley et al. (2010) created premises for a more objective approach toward analysis and the further interpretation of results. The numbers seem to be adequate, yet a more detailed description of the sample size would have been a reasonable addition to the paper.
Data Collection Method
An online instrument combined with the request directed at patients to provide their reasons for selecting nursing as their major, as well as refusing to continue working in the identified area for those who quitted, was used to obtain research data (Eley et al., 2010). Since none of the participants was underage, and all of them signed informed consent prior to participating in the study, the process of data collection can be deemed as ethically sound. Furthermore, the fact that none of the participants’ personal information was disclosed during or after the study can be regarded as the sign of the study being ethically unambiguous. Therefore, the research meets key ethical standards. It could be argued, though, that interviews could be used to obtain larger and more profound information about the reasons for research participants to choose nursing or abandon it.
Research Limitations
As explained above, the inability to embrace a vast range of patients is the key limitation. Because of the choice of the cross-sectional design, the authors of the study could not take into account culture-specific characteristics of target demographics, thus, delivering generalized results. The specified limitation can be overcome in follow-up studies by considering a different research design that will allow splitting participants into groups based on their culture-related specifics.
Although the identified concern might seem a minor issue in the article, it does have a direct effect on the veracity and further applicability of research findings. For instance, to use the outcomes of the study in a multicultural setting, one will have to shape the ideas suggested by Eley et al. (2010) to meet the needs of patients successfully. Therefore, locating research limitations is an essential step toward creating a viable tool for meeting patients’ needs.
Findings: Overview
According to Eley et al. (2010), five key factors define the choice of nursing as a field of study. These include being interested in the subject matter, being able to provide care and support for others, a chance to work with people, feeling that nursing is one’s calling, and the opportunity to provide support for the community (Eley et al., 2010). Thus, altruism and personal interests surprisingly share the top position in people’s reasoning for choosing nursing. The arguments for leaving nursing, in turn, were mostly restricted to identifying more promising career options, having health issues, facing family responsibilities, and the inability to schedule one’s work using shifts (Eley et al., 2010).
The results of the study provide a detailed response to the research question. The authors of the study list key factors that shape people’s choices regarding a nursing career. Moreover, the extent to which these factors affect people’s decisions is identified and provided in the paper. Thus, the findings align with the research questions and goals fully. Despite minor issues in the choice of research design, the results are quite credible.
Summary: Key Points
By examining both internal and external factors for people to enter and leave the nursing career, Eley et al. (2010) managed to determine five essential factors, thus, providing opportunities for improving the quality of both nursing and workplace conditions for nurses. The question of the study concerned the reasons for people to become nurses and abandon the specified choice. The research results indicate that being disillusioned, facing family issues, and better career opportunities are the primary causes for leaving nursing. The reasons for choosing it, in turn, include personal preferences, the willingness to help people and provide support for community members.
The outcomes of the analysis can be used to improve the environment in which nurses work. For instance, schedule-related problems and increasingly high workload can be addressed by reconsidering corporate policies. As a result, both employee satisfaction rates and the quality of care will increase substantially. On a larger scale, the findings can be used to alter the very idea of nursing practice by placing a stronger emphasis on nurses’ needs. Although the responsibilities of a nurse are often taken for granted, it is crucial to create the environment in which nurses will feel comfortable and inclined to grow personally and professionally. As a result, the quality of care will improve substantially.
References
Banerjee, S. C., Manna, R., Coyle, N., Shen, M. J., Pehrson, C., Zaider, T., … Bylund, C. L. (2016). Oncology nurses’ communication challenges with patients and families: A qualitative study. Nurse Education in Practice, 16(1), 193-201. Web.
Dooley, W., Lonsdale, S., Dilgil, M., Diamantopoulos, A., & Gudi, A. (2016). A comparison of perinatal outcomes in multiple pregnancies: Assisted versus spontaneous conception: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Fertilization: In Vitro – IVF – Worldwide, Reproductive Medicine, Genetics & Stem Cell Biology, 4(2), 174-176. Web.
Eley, R., Eley, D., & Rogers-Clark, C. (2010). Reasons for entering and leaving nursing: An Australian regional study. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28(1), 6-13.
Kuwano, N., Lee, S. W., Jang, S. N., & Fukuda, H. (2017). Japanese nurses’ perception of their experiences caring for culturally diverse patients: Comparison with Korean nurses. Health Primary Care, 1(3) 2-8. Web.