SPECIALIZED NURSING RESOURCES: THE OCCUPATIONAL CHOICE OF INTENSIVE CARE NURSES (SPECIALIZED NURSING).
Contributors: University Of Toronto (Canada)
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 576
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Vocational.
Description: This study examined issues associated with the education and recruitment of registered nurses (RNs) for intensive care units (ICU) in the major university teaching hospitals of Metropolitan Toronto, Canada. The project was motivated by geographic and specialty nursing shortages throughout the 1980s; and, it was planned and executed from the perspectives of nursing, higher education, and policy development.

The theoretical framework was derived from labour economics. In particular, the study applied Freeman's (1971) economic theory of occupational choice to an investigation of the effects of four economic incentives on RNs stated plans to become intensive care nurses: educational bonus, educational leave, salary differential, tuition assistance.

A review and comparison of Canadian nursing resource studies during the 1980s was part of an extensive literature review. Empirical data on the career choices of RNs were collected by questionnaires sent to a total of 962 randomly selected medical-surgical and intensive care staff nurses employed full time in the eight study institutions. The administrative perspective on questions concerning recruitment criteria, practices, incentives, and other issues was obtained through a series of interviews (1984) with nursing and hospital administrative personnel. Follow-up interviews five years later (1989) provided a useful comparison of conditions and opinions from the administrators' point of view.

The respondents reported many reasons for and against intensive care nursing as a specialized area of career choice. Reasons related to advanced knowledge, skills, and specialty preparation were highly rated as favourable influences on the respondents' plans to work in ICU. Among the medical-surgical respondents, 16 percent were planning to work in intensive care, 32 percent were not, and 7 percent had not considered it; but most respondents, 45 percent, were undecided.

Paid educational leave and salary differentials were found to be the most effective of the proposed recruitment incentives. There were differences of opinion among staff nurses and nursing administrators as to the use of economic incentives, especially salary differentials. These and other findings have planning and policy implications for the principle players concerned with ICU nursing shortages: educators, employers, unions, the nursing profession, government, and, practicing nurses themselves.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 52-11, Section: B, page: 5757.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO (CANADA), 1990.

School code: 0779.