On my own terms: the redefinition of success in nursing

Studies seeking predictors of success among professional women, including nurses, define "success" largely in extrinsic terms. In the findings of two studies of nurses (N = 200; N = 722), intrinsic forms of success emerge as more highly valued than externally measured achievements. Other studies of nurses and professional women show similar findings. This is argued to reflect realism about the structural obstacles and personal costs involved in vertical careers and the balancing of priorities important to women. Success defined as personal satisfaction is particularly appropriate in an economic climate where the success ethic is less viable and self-evaluation in extrinsic terms is psychologically risky.