THE REVITALIZATION OF HOSPICE NURSES: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE STRUCTURE OF RENEWING EXPERIENCES (BURNOUT).
Contributors: Ohio State University.
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 211
Subjects: Education, Adult and Continuing.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: How do hospice nurses revitalize themselves so they can continue to do demanding and draining hospice work? Revitalization was studied by interviewing 20 hospice nurses and five former hospice nurses, each of whom had worked in one of three hospice locations. The goal was to record the nurses' perceptions and processes of renewal in order to develop an analytic description of the revitalization process. The former hospice nurses were interviewed to explore renewal and also to identify deterrants to renewal.

The conceptual framework for the study was built from the Humanistic theories of Viktor Frankl, Gordon Allport, and Abraham Maslow, and from the research foundation of Hans Selye on stress. An holistic perspective, proactive in orientation, was used to describe the process of revitalization in a global way rather than to discuss amelioration of stress and burnout.

Seven themes of renewal became apparent in the modified analytic induction treatment of the interview data, which were gathered by using an interview guide for open-ended interviews. The seven themes: (1) The nurse's life perspective influences revitalization; balance in life, spirituality, perspectives gained from life changing events, and meanings of life, are sub-themes in life perspectives; (2) Care of self, including attention to spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and intellectual needs, influences revitalization; (3) Significant relationships, personal and professional, provide opportunities to share, learn, enhance life, and decrease loneliness; (4) Affirmation, internally generated, and from others, enhances self-esteem and verifies competence; lack of affirmation induces stress; (5) The hospice work itself is revitalizing; satisfaction from pioneer work, gratitude from patients and their families, autonomy, satisfaction from "doing nursing as it should be done" all contribute; (6) Diversion and fun, both planned and spontaneous, provide change of perspective, laughter, pleasure, and reminders of the positive balance of a healthy world; and (7) Professional development stimulates personal satisfaction and feelings of professional competence and effectiveness.

Implications for the renewal of professionals address: nurses' awareness, training, continuing education, and support; administrators' training in employee selection, staff development, management skills, and support services for staff.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-05, Section: A, page: 1570.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, 1986.

School code: 0168.