title: What do nurses mean by workload and work overload?
abstract: This paper describes 31 nurses' views of workload and work overload, identifying ten dimensions of workload and four dimensions of work overload. Findings suggest that researchers and nurse administrators do not include all of the dimensions that nurses think of when they use the word "workload". Nurse administrators who listen to nurses' experience of workload may be able to find strategies to help nurses deal with their workload. The theme of lack of control ran through the nurses' accounts of work overload. To retain nurses, employers need to allow nurses some control over their workload and some time to include in their nursing the things they enjoy the most.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Gaudine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002170:Canada; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017748:Time Management; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data