Commitment to nursing: results of a qualitative interview study

Aim  The aims of the study were to explore opportunities to undergo continuing professional education, family friendly policy and holding an innovative or traditional post on nurses’ job satisfaction and professional and organizational commitment. Background  Qualified nurses have become a scare resource in the National Health Service. Managers need to be aware of the work-related factors most likely to secure nurses’ professional and organizational commitment which will contribute to the retention. Commitment is thought to be increased if opportunities for continuing professional education are good. Family friendly policy is also important. Less is known about the relationship between type of nursing work and commitment. Methods  An in-depth, exploratory approach to data collection were taken, employing an interview guide with open-ended questions. Data were collected with 27 nurses in clinical grades in two contrasting trusts. Results  Family friendly policies emerged as most important in securing nursing commitment. Those in innovative posts whose work entailed social hours and greater professional autonomy also displayed greater levels of job satisfaction. Opportunities for continuing professional education had less influence on professional and organizational commitment. Conclusion  Providing flexible or social working hours appears to be more influential than providing opportunities for continuing professional education in securing nursing commitment in this exploratory study.