[Long-term job satisfaction in direct nursing care]

In this study the qualitative method of grounded theory was employed to investigate what enables nurses to work long-term in direct nursing care and being satisfied. This question is of actual importance in the present situation of rising costs in the health care system and increasing work pressure for the nursing staff. Five nurses with at least ten years of work experience participated in seven interviews. Data analysis revealed coping with difficulties as the core concept. All respondents had to deal with difficult situations in their daily working routine, which occasionally have been experienced as overwhelming. Important conditions for coping with difficulties are the personal development, the cooperation with others and the taking care of oneself. If this can be done successfully, it is possible to take over central responsibilities in nursing care, to act in a competent and purposeful way, and to care for others, which is a condition for long-term job satisfaction. The focuses described in the literature--cooperation, engagement and coping with stress--were found as central contents in this investigation. The findings for the most part are congruent with the results of other studies. The implications for practice focus on working conditions and possibilities of support, which help nurses to deal with the difficulties encountered in their daily work.