THE CULTURE OF THE PATIENT CARE UNIT AND RETENTION OF CRITICAL CARE NURSING STAFF.
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1994
Number of pages: 304
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Business Administration, Management.; Anthropology, Cultural.
Description: The purpose of the research was to identify and describe the culture of a patient care unit and to relate that culture to the retention of nursing staff. Culture was defined as the beliefs, values, and norms shared by nurses working on a patient care unit. This naturalistic study used ethnographic methods, primarily participant observation and interview. The research questions were: How is culture experienced by nurses on a patient care unit which retains nurses and on a patient care unit which does not? What are the differences and similarities in patient care unit beliefs, values, and norms on the two units? How do cultural phenomena such as beliefs, values, and norms influence retention of nursing staff? Two study units were sampled. One unit had high retention and one unit had low retention. Culture was studied on each of the study units over a period of three to four months. Non-participant observation occurred in a variety of settings including staff meetings, change of shift reports, social gatherings and in the day to day delivery of patient care. Artifactual data was collected and interviews were conducted with key informants. Data analysis was accomplished using the constant comparative method. The beliefs, values, and norms related to patient care, visiting hours, and staff interactions in the first study unit were found to have a negative influence on retention. In particular rigid norms were found to negatively influence retention. The beliefs, values, and norms related to patient care and staff interactions in the second study unit were found to have a positive influence on retention. In particular flexible norms, teamwork, and mentoring of newcomers were found to positively influence retention.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-10, Section: B, page: 4325.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1994.

School code: 0227.