Intensity and challenge as an aspect of work satisfaction in an urban emergency room

This phenomenological study examined the lived experience of expert emergency room nurses in order to describe their sources of work satisfaction. An interpretive analysis was completed of interviews with 13 nurses in addition to observations of their practice. Experienced nurses described appreciating the challenge of working with complex patients, valuing the unpredictable nature of their work, and enjoying the intensity and fast pace of the emergency room as it helped them to focus. Because this appreciation for intensity and challenge was also an aspect of the nurses' personal lives, nurse managers should consider to what extent the personality characteristics of nurses interviewing for new positions match the unit culture. Scheduling interviews on the unit itself may facilitate nurses obtaining a reality-based understanding of the unit culture prior to beginning employment.