Exploring the ways experienced nurses in Poland view their profession: a focus group study

To conduct an in-depth analysis to understand how Polish nurses perceive their profession from the perspective of the jobs they perform and their experiences connected with the work.

Although there are general educational standards in the nursing profession, nurses worldwide perform their jobs under different systems and cultural conditions. Exploring and describing how experienced nurses view their profession can contribute to recommendations on how to promote the image of the profession and can assist in recruiting new nurses.

A descriptive, explorative qualitative study was conducted. Focus groups (n = 6) were organized involving nurses (n = 60) who had between 8 and 33 years of work experience.

Data analysis revealed four main themes and ten sub-themes: (i) the role of the nurse (idealistic view of a nurse's work before starting the job, realistic perception of the profession while doing the job); (ii) respect for a nurse (nurses' attitudes towards one another, doctors' attitudes towards nurses, patients' and their families' attitudes towards nurses); (iii) gender issues (stereotypes, favouritism towards male nurses); (iv) prestige of the profession (prestige of the nursing profession in society, remuneration, nurses' choice of a future profession for their children).

The study demonstrates that there is a huge discrepancy between the commonly held image of the nursing profession and the reality of the nurse's job. The idealistic view that it is a "clean" job in which the nurse only gives injections is not reflected in the actual duties.

The findings revealed factors which influence the perception of the nursing profession in Poland, that is the system of education, professional experience and the current situation in which nurses perform their roles. Nurses' current perception of the job may have negative consequences both for nurses themselves (e.g. burnout) and for the whole profession (e.g. negative selection). Nurses should aim to fulfil leadership roles and participate in the management of health policy so as to have greater influence on healthcare planning.