Testing a work empowerment-work relationship model to explain expertise in experienced acute care nurses.
OBJECTIVE
This study tested the ability of work relationships and work empowerment to predict nursing expertise in experienced acute care nurses.


BACKGROUND
With high patient acuity, constant system changes, and multiple changing members of the healthcare team, expert nurses are increasingly important to ensure positive patient outcomes in acute care settings.


METHODS
This study was an exploratory, predictive correlational design with a stratified random sample of 115 staff nurses from a large tertiary care center. Data were collected on work empowerment, work relationships, and nursing expertise.


RESULTS
A modified study model was supported in this sample of acute care nurses (R = 0.258, P = .000) and explained 26% of nurses' reported expertise.


CONCLUSIONS
Work relationships explained the largest portion of the variance in nurses' reported expertise (16%), more than experience in the specialty (9%) with an indirect link between work empowerment and nursing expertise.
Roche
Joan
J
School of Nursing, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, MA 01003, USA. jproche@nursing.umass.edu
Morsi
Deborah
D
Chandler
Genevieve E
GE
D000208:Acute Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003422:Critical Care; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008611:Mentors; D009726:Nurses; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D011209:Power, Psychological; D000078329:Workforce; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology*