[A professional nursing practice environment and its impact on nurses' task motivation].
OBJECTIVE
This study was aimed at (a) describing professional nursing practice environments embedded in nursing care units and (b) examining its relationships to nurses' task motivation.


METHODS
Using the Nursing Work Index Revised (NWI-R) and the Work Preference Inventory (WPI), a descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 320 registered nurses on 26 nursing care units in one University hospital in Korea.


RESULTS
Mean scores were 12.9 on a 5-20 score range of an autonomous environment scale, 7.3 on a 3-12 score range of a collaborative environment, and 15.8 on a 7-28 score range of control over nursing practice. Nurses' age, educational level, job position, working period at the hospital and employment status were significantly related to the degree of a professional practice environment. The extent to which a professional practice environment accounted for task motivation was 19.5%.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a certain degree of professionalism in the workplace environment that nurses perceived within the nursing care units. When nurses care for patients, the degree of task motivation depends on the work environment supporting the professional nursing practice.
Kang
So-Young
SY
College of Nursing, Catholic University of Pusan, Korea. kang0026@cup.ac.kr
Um
Young-Rhan
YR
Han
Sung-Suk
SS
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009738:Nursing Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D015279:Organizational Culture