The rural nurse work environment and structural empowerment

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Rural Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Rural healthcare organizations face challenges in nurse recruitment and retention.
• Existing research predominantly focuses on urban hospital settings, neglecting rural contexts.
• Understanding the rural nurse work environment is crucial for addressing staffing shortages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the nurse work environment in rural settings.
• To describe the relationship between structural empowerment and work environment characteristics in rural nurses.
• To compare empowerment levels between rural home care and hospital nurses.

Main Methods:

• Surveyed 97 nurses in rural home care agencies and hospitals.
• Assessed characteristics of the nurse work environment.
• Measured levels of structural empowerment among participants.

Main Results:

• Found significant differences in empowerment scores between practice settings.
• Home care nurses reported higher structural empowerment than medical/surgical nurses.
• A strong correlation was identified between nurse work environment characteristics and empowerment.

Conclusions:

• The rural nurse work environment and empowerment differ across practice settings.
• Findings suggest tailored strategies may be needed for rural nurse retention.
• This study provides evidence for policy development concerning rural healthcare workforce.