Page 137 - GHES-2-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Nurses’ perceived affective well-being at work

complexity and severity of patients’ conditions. Currently, et al., 2022; Couper et al., 2022). Therefore, this study
nursing workloads and staffing levels are particularly seeks to fill this void in the broader nursing literature.
complex and challenging (Buchan et al., 2022; Hill, 2020; This study aimed to investigate nurses’ perspectives
Marufu et al., 2021). Nurses encounter numerous obstacles on their emotional well-being, opinions on achieving a
in clinical practice, such as inflexible schedules, high rates of balance between work and personal life, career aspirations,
sickness and absenteeism, increasing mental health issues, and the factors driving their motivation. The overarching
low morale, and a lack of diverse skill sets at the frontline objectives were to enhance our understanding of how
of patient care (Buchan et al., 2022; Nepali et al., 2022; nurses navigate both challenges and opportunities
National Health Service [NHS] Digital, 2022). These issues within their professional environment, and to explore
are of growing concern for nurse managers and educators, their perspectives on how their work influences their
significantly impacting the organization and delivery of motivation and affective well-being. In addition, the study
patient care (Paananen et al., 2021; Pirhonen et al., 2022; sought to delineate the impact of years of work experience
Sweeney et al., 2022). Workforce development initiatives, on nurses’ perceptions of their affective wellbeing and
such as the Advanced Clinical Practice Apprenticeship overall job satisfaction. Given the inherent nature of their
programs and reforms in nurse training and education, work, nurses often encounter a myriad of feelings and
exemplified by the new Future Nurse Standards, strive to emotions simultaneously while on duty. These diverse
enhance working conditions and tackle issues, such as low emotions, stemming from their daily interactions with
morale, retention challenges, and workforce shortages. patients and colleagues, may contribute to the elevated
These efforts made within the nursing workforce have the levels of emotional labor experienced by nurses in their
potential to bolster job prospects, enrich career pathways, workplace. The study focused on two objectives: (i) To
and elevate levels of job satisfaction. As a result, nurses’ examine how nursing work and increased workloads
motivation is expected to strengthen with the availability impact nurses’ affective wellbeing and (ii) to identify how
of further career opportunities and career progression. available supportive mechanisms enable nurses to manage
In recent years, the nursing profession has witnessed the emotional toll of balancing job demands with those of
a significant exodus of nurses due to a pervasive culture their mental health needs.
of discrimination within the NHS (the United Kingdom’s
publicly funded healthcare system), where ethnic minority 2. Data and methods
staff are predominantly clustered in lower pay scales. These 2.1. Study design and theoretical framework
nurses encounter heightened uncertainties and formidable This interpretative phenomenological research was
obstacles in their pursuit of selection and advancement designed to interpret and understand nurses’ own lived
into senior or leadership roles (Gill & Orgad, 2022; experiences, emotions, and feelings (Creswell, 2014;
Jefferies et al., 2022; Kline, 2019; Lopez et al., 2021; Nepali Reid et al., 2018; Smith & Nizza, 2022; Smith, 2019). The
et al., 2022; Royal College of Nursing, 2019; Williamson internal processes of reflective discourse and making
et al., 2022). In addition, prominent cases have raised sense of experiences are critical for this research, as
doubts about nurses’ professionalism and empathetic nurses often lack the space to re-think and re-evaluate
qualities, contributing to nurses’ moral distress. Notably, experiences, typically reflecting on the emotional burden
the nursing workforce has been found to experience higher they carry only after the fact (Nepali et al., 2022; NHS
rates of mental health issues and suicides compared to Digital, 2022). The aim of this research was to facilitate
other health-care professions, severely impacting nurses’ debates and discussions about why they may feel the
morale, motivation, and general job satisfaction (Conolly way they do, and to attempt to explain and articulate
et al., 2022; Couper et al., 2022), particularly in the post- the intricate complexities of their working lives. In other
pandemic era. words, nurses were asked to self-interpret their situation
Recently, mental health illness among nurses has been and lived experience.
cited as a primary factor contributing to their departure
from the profession (Drennan & Ross, 2019). Similar 2.2. Study setting and sample recruitment
patterns are observed in healthcare systems worldwide, all The sample population consisted of registered nurses
grappling with comparable challenges in developing and with several years of clinical experience who voluntarily
retaining their nursing workforce (Anderson et al., 2021; took part in three discussion groups. A total of 38 nurses
Galvin et al., 2020). At present, there is a notable lack participated in the study. The enrolled nurses were grouped
of research in the nursing literature concerning nurses’ into three different discussion groups based on their
perceived affective well-being and motivation (Buchan years of experience as registered nurses. All participants

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2024) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.3012