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Objective: To examine whether personal psychological resources safeguard hospital nurses against adverse workplace consequences, particularly job burnout and the desire to leave the profession. Background: Nursing research has extensively documented the adverse effects of job burnout and staff turnover. With the current nursing shortage, it is imperative to identify resources and strategies that can mitigate adverse workplace outcomes. However, the role of personal psychological resources, or psychological capital, in aiding nurses to perform effectively in their work environment remains relatively unexplored. Study design and methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. The survey assessed nurses' experienced burnout (MBI-HSS), psychological capital (PCQ-24), and intentions to leave nursing. Hospital nurses (n= 258) from six states of Australia responded to an online anonymous survey between June and November 2022. Results: Respondents indicated a high degree of experienced burnout: 68.6% experienced high emotional exhaustion, 31.8% had high depersonalisation, and 31.8% had low personal accomplishment. Additionally, 38.8% had high intentions to leave the profession. Emotional exhaustion (p<.001, b=.56) and personal accomplishment (p=.006, b=-.15) were significant predictors of turnover intentions. Higher psychological capital was significantly associated with lower emotional exhaustion (p<.001, b=-.42), lower depersonalisation (p<.001, b=-.29), higher personal accomplishment (p<.001, b=.60), and lower turnover intentions (p<.001, b=.44). Discussion: Much of the nursing burnout and intent to leave literature focuses on negative rather than positive aspects of the work environment. Positive responses to workplace stimuli promote positive attitudes such as empowerment, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment that have a tangible impact on personal and occupational wellbeing. This may explain why nurses with stronger personal psychological resources experienced less burnout and voiced fewer intentions to leave the profession. Conclusion: The health and wellbeing of nurses should be a priority for healthcare organisations; the working conditions nurses face in Australian hospitals cause many to be negatively impacted by work stress. Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice: Nurses would benefit from initiatives to enhance their psychological resources. Targeted interventions to develop psychological capital should be examined in a nursing population. This can change policy, thereby benefitting the healthcare system. What is already known about the topic? • Australia is currently facing a shortage of qualified nurses. • Hospital nurses often experience job burnout and high levels of turnover due to the challenging nature of their work environment. • Personal psychological resources have been linked to positive workplace outcomes, such as job satisfaction and organisational commitment, in various settings. What this paper adds: • It demonstrates that nurses possessing greater personal psychological resources experience lower levels of burnout and are less likely to consider leaving the profession. • The paper suggests that implementing targeted interventions designed to enhance nurses' personal psychological resources could be a viable approach for mitigating burnout and turnover intentions (TI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread impacts on the community and has demanded a rapid response from the aged care sector. System changes for infection control have been required including the use of personal protective equipment, lockdowns, visitor restrictions and changes to activities within aged care facilities. Even prior to COVID-19, the high physical and emotional demands of aged care work were recognised. Objective: This study sought to understand aged care workers' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Using a pragmatic paradigm qualitative data about work experiences during COVID-19 was collected from people employed in different aged care organisations in a range of aged care roles and settings from multiple Australian states. Data was collected using focus groups and interviews conducted online between August-October 2020. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify key themes in the data. results: Participants included 15 people working across a range of aged care roles including clinical, care and management staff and across both residential and community settings. Five themes were identified which characterised aged care workers thoughts about their jobs during the pandemic. These included intensified procedures and emotional demands, feeling undervalued and detached from the frontline, exposure of existing system deficiencies, recognising teamwork and increased confidence in technology. conclusion: Reflecting on aged care workers' experiences of COVID-19 highlights the need to better support workers and acknowledge their important role in caring for older Australians. This includes at an organisational level by providing supportive environments and access to online resources as well as at the community and policy level by recognising aged care workers as frontline workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted existing systemic issues in the aged care sector that need to be addressed for the provision of quality aged care in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic and into the future. What is already known about the topic? * While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the global community, it is disproportionately impacting the aged care sector with higher rates of severe illness and death and wide-ranging system changes to prevent and control the spread of the virus. * Prior to COVID-19, aged care work was associated with high job demands and lack of access to resources to support aged care workers in their role. * Survey data on the Australian RACF workforce found workers felt prepared for the pandemic with a wide range of measures to control the spread of COVID-19 but they faced several challenges associated with their additional roles and restrictions. What this paper adds * This paper provides qualitative and descriptive insights into the challenges experienced by the Australian aged care workforce during COVID-19 including increased workloads and intensified emotional demands of their roles while at the same time feeling undervalued by the wider community. * This study has highlighted the need to better support and acknowledge aged care workers in the community through their portrayal in the media and within their organisations by facilitating supportive team environments and providing access to online resources and training. * This paper discusses existing systemic issues that have been highlighted by COVID-19 and the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety and need to be addressed for the wellbeing of workers and the provision of quality aged care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate nurses' satisfaction and experiences of redeployment during COVID-19. Background: Redeployment to an unfamiliar environment can be challenging; however, it can also present an opportunity for staff to learn new skills. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to redeploy health professionals, particularly nurses, increased dramatically. Evaluating nurses' satisfaction and experiences related to redeployment during the pandemic is essential for future surge planning. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey consisting of single-choice and open-ended questions was conducted on a purposive sample of nurses (n=106) working in an acute hospital in New South Wales, Australia, from July to August 2020. Nurses who were redeployed to wards different from their regular workplaces were invited to participate in the survey. Areas of redeployment include various medical and surgical wards, intensive care units and the emergency department. Nurses' satisfaction was obtained through the survey question structured as a Likert scale ranging from very satisfied to very dissatisfied. Nurse experiences were captured through a single-choice question (positive or negative experience) and open-ended questions. The single- choice questions were analysed by summarising participant responses, and open-ended questions were analysed using an iterative thematic analysis approach. Results: A high proportion of nurses were either neutral (48.4%, n=45) or dissatisfied (44.1%, n=41) with redeployment, with only 7.5% (n=7) of nurses being satisfied. There was a mix of positive (43%, n=40) and negative (57%, n=53) redeployment experiences. Three main themes influence nurses' redeployment experience: "staff friendly and welcoming", "patient allocation", and "support". Conclusion: Redeployment of healthcare workers during a pandemic is inevitable. This study highlighted that despite close to half of the redeployed nurses reporting a positive redeployment experience, only a few were satisfied with redeployment. This indicated that more work is required to support nurses during redeployment to increase satisfaction. Future workforce redeployment needs to consider healthcare workers' needs and must strive to improve satisfaction to build a sustainable and resilient health system. Implications for research, policy, and practice: This study highlighted that although redeployment is challenging, staff can have a positive redeployment experience when supported. Elements that are associated with positive redeployment experience were explored in this study, which can inform policy and prepare nurses for future surge demand. What is already known about the topic? • Redeployment of nurses in the acute care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic is common. • Both the COVID-19 pandemic and redeployment can be challenging and stressful experiences for nurses. • There is a paucity of research examining the satisfaction and experiences of nurses working in the acute care sector during COVID-19 in Australia. What this paper adds: • This study provides evidence that many nurses working in the acute sector during COVID-19 in Australia had positive redeployment experiences. Despite this, very few were satisfied with redeployment. • This study has identified essential factors to a positive redeployment experience. • This study also highlighted the need to improve nurses' satisfaction with redeployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between the quality of reflective practice groups and nurses' professional quality of life. Background: Previous nursing research has indicated that reflective practice groups are positively associated with personal resources, job resources, and professional quality of life for nurses. The specific impact of the groups however, has not been distinguished from the impact of personal and job resources, and the explanatory mechanisms for the associations are unclear. Design/Methods: This study utilised a cross-sectional, quantitative research methodology with 184 Australian nurses from a regional teaching hospital who attended reflective practice groups (88.5% female). Surveys captured demographics, personal resources (i.e. self-efficacy), job resources (i.e. job autonomy, skill discretion, job social support, and group cohesion) and perceived quality of reflective practice groups, as measured by the Clinical Supervision Evaluation Questionnaire, alongside professional quality of life outcomes. Results: Participants who rated reflective practice groups as 'high quality' or more effective were associated with significantly higher scores for personal and job resources of self-efficacy, autonomy, skill discretion, social support, and group cohesion. These resources, in turn, correlated with more positive professional quality of life scores; in particular compassion satisfaction and burnout. Discussion: While the study used cross-sectional data and causality cannot be inferred, the findings do indicate a clear association between attending effectively facilitated reflective practice groups and greater personal and job resources. This may indicate that the groups provide nurses with an opportunity to build or enhance these resources. Furthermore, it is proposed that this could explain a mechanism by which reflective practice groups can indirectly impact positively on professional quality of life for nurses by building resources. Future research should explore causality longitudinally. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that nurses who perceive the groups favorably have greater social support, enhanced self-efficacy, more autonomy, and increased skill discretion. These factors also align with the restorative and formative benefits of supervision. Greater personal and job resources, in turn, can enhance professional quality of life. Whilst mediating pathways have been identified, it is still not possible to definitively attribute the development of these resources to group participation. Implications for Research, Policy, and Practice: There is growing evidence to support reflective practice groups as a viable form of group clinical supervision for nurses. It is important to ensure reflective practice groups are effectively facilitated. What is already known about the topic? Correlational data indicates that high quality reflective practice groups may offer a cost-effective form of group clinical supervision, for nurses; providing support and helping them deal with what can be a challenging professional environment. Reflective practice groups have been linked to a range of benefits across individual and organisational levels, including; 1) increased job satisfaction, 2) higher quality of patient care, less critical incidents, 3) higher rates of staff retainment and reduced leave, and 4) enhancing the integrity of the nursing profession through accountability and skill development. What this paper adds Despite these claims, little is known regarding the mechanisms underpinning these documented benefits. This study provides a theoretically driven explanation; that reflective practice groups provide an opportunity for job crafting, in which nurses actively build resources (i.e. skills development critical thinking and social support), mitigating some of the negative psychological consequences associated with nursing. This information can help guide policy, practice, and the development of effective interventions to provide support and supervision for nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Providing healthcare in a remote or rural setting can be complex and difficult, with many remote area nurses not receiving sufficient orientation or preparation. This is particularly important for the management of medicines. Aim: This analysis evaluates an online medicines safety course called Pharmacotherapeutics for Remote Area Nurses. Study Design and Methods: Eight cohorts of students (n=629), between 2016-2020, were included in the evaluation. A mixed methods approach was used to evaluate the impact of the online pharmacotherapeutics course. At the end of each module and at the end of the course participants were asked to complete an online questionnaire. In-depth semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders (n=9) were also conducted, and data thematically analysed. Results: The online pharmacotherapeutics course was well received (average of 4.3 on a 5-point Likert scale). It was easy to navigate (2.6 on a 3-point Likert scale), the flow was logical (2.8 on a 3-point Likert scale) and it was clear how to achieve learning outcomes (2.8 on a 3-point Likert scale). The learning content in each of the modules were well received (4.1-4.5 on a 5-point Likert scale) and deemed appropriate for nurses practicing in the remote areas (2.7-2.9 on a 3-point Likert scale). Thematic analysis of the stakeholder interviews and participant surveys revealed the pharmacotherapeutics course improved knowledge, confidence, and competence of nurses in relation to medicines management and results in better preparedness of the remote health workforce. Key stakeholder feedback highlighted that the pharmacotherapeutics course was seen as an important part of preparing and upskilling the remote health workforce. Discussion: Overall, the pharmacotherapeutics course was well received by nurses and key informants. It improved self-reported knowledge, confidence, competence, and preparedness for nursing practice in remote locations. Conclusion: The continued support of professional development and education for the remote health workforce is vital to ensure optimum patient care. What is already known about this topic? * People in remote Australia generally experience poorer health and face increased challenges in accessing care compared with major city counterparts. * In remote regions, access to healthcare services is reliant on the availability of a competent workforce with nurses forming the backbone of rural and remote primary care. * The use of medications is the most common intervention in healthcare and improvements in the quality use of medicines can have significant benefits to a person's wellbeing. What this paper adds: * Professional development and education for the remote health workforce is vital to ensure optimum patient care. * Education that is appropriate, relevant, and accessible can increase self-assessed knowledge, competence, and confidence in relation to medicines management. * Online education that is developed in collaboration with stakeholders and addresses an identified need is an acceptable and accessible method of providing professional development to the remote health workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]