title: Perceived nursing work environment of acute care pediatric nurses.
abstract: Nurse job satisfaction is a complex phenomenon and includes elements of the work environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nurses' perception of their real (current) and ideal (preferred) work environment in a pediatric tertiary care setting. Using a descriptive survey design, a convenience sample of staff nurses from three inpatient units was surveyed using the Work Environment Scale (WES) by Moos (1994). The WES consists of 10 subscales characterizing three dimensions: Relationship, Personal Growth, and System Maintenance and Change. Overall, nurses affirmed a highly positive and supportive work environment on their units. Non-significant findings between the real and ideal scores for the Involvement and Managerial Control subscales suggest that staff are concerned about and committed to their work, and satisfied with their managers' use of rules and procedures. Statistically significant differences between selected real and ideal subscale scores will help target intervention strategies to enhance the nursing work environment.
authors.affiliation: The Children's Hospital, Denver, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Anne Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kotzer
authors.forename: Dianne M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Koepping
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: LeDuc
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008875:Middle Aged; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010371:Pediatric Nursing; D010557:Personnel Administration, Hospital; D014481:United States