Psychology Faculty Publications

School Nurse Perspectives of Their Vocational Decisions

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Winter 2009

Journal Title

Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research

Volume

3

Issue

2

First Page

98

Last Page

104

Abstract

This is a phenomenological, qualitative study of 25 school nurses employed in a large, urban school district in the Midwestern section of the United States. The study's participants possess histories of professional work experiences in nursing specialties other than school nursing. Thematic analysis of the data revealed three prominent factors that nurses identified as the greatest influences on their decisions to enter school nursing. These factors included a preference for pediatric nursing in a community setting, the school nurse work schedule, and the influence of nurses who were currently in the practice of school nursing. Participants transitioned from a narrow perception of the school nurse (provider of first aid) to the realization that there exist many diverse and significant facets of the specialty. As they gained experience in school nursing, the job satisfaction levels reported by nurses increased.

Keywords

Nursing, job enrichment, quality of work life, school administration, job satisfaction

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