The relationship experiences of professional nurses with nurse managers : research

This qualitative study was undertaken to explore and describe the experiences of professional nurses in their relationships with nurse managers. Concerns about declining nursing care standards have been expressed in radio newsbulletins, television interviews and newspapers. This decline is thought to come from the pressures brought about by rapid changes in political, socio-economic and technological spheres. It therefore became important to the researcher to acquire knowledge about the manner in which nurses support each other during these times of change. Data were collected by means of individual interviews. Interviews were audiotaped and field notes were taken to provide the researcher with complementary information. Data analysis was done using the data analysis method described by Tesch (in Creswell, 1994:155). Results revealed that professional nurses experience a breakdown in their relationships with nurse managers and that the professional nurses' expectations relating to the work environment are not being met. The experiences manifested in feelings of anger, pain and disillusionment and led to demotivation of the professional nurses. Guidelines were proposed to address the aforementioned experiences. Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie is onderneem om die belewenisse van professionele verpleegkundiges ten opsigte van hulle verhoudings met verpleegbestuurders te verken en te beskryf. Kommer oor verpleegstandaarde wat verswak is in radio -en televisienuusberigte asook koerantberigte uitgespreek. Die agteruitgang van standaarde kan toegeskryf word aan die druk wat deur die veranderende politieke, sosio-ekonomiese en tegnologiese sfere meegebring word. Dit het daarom vir die navorser noodsaaklik geword om kennis in te win oor die wyse waarop verpleegkundiges mekaar in hierdie tye van verandering ondersteun. Data is deur middel van individuele onderhoude ingesamel. Onderhoude is op band opgeneem en veldnotas is geneem om sodoende aanvullende inligting aan die navorser te verskaf. Data analise het plaasgevind deur van Tesch se metode (in Creswell, 1994:155) gebruik te maak. Die resultate van die studie het aan die lig gebring dat professionele verpleegkundiges beleef dat hulle verhoudings met verpleegbestuurders nie na wense is nie en dat daar nie aan hulle verwagtinge ten opsigte van hulle werksomgewing voldoen word nie. Die belewenisse het gemanifesteer in gevoelens van aggressie, pyn en ontnugtering en het tot die demotivering van professionele verpleegkund