Life Adjustment of Second- and Third-Year Nurses in Japan Engaged in Shift Work Under a Health Self-Management...

This study aimed to interpretively explore the life adjustment processes of second- and third-year nurses engaged in shift work under a health self-management program, focusing on the integration of professional adaptation and well-being.

Seven nurses in their second or third year of clinical practice participated in a program utilizing Ryodoraku biofeedback. Data from interviews were analyzed using the Steps for Coding and Theorization method.

The adjustment process was conceptualized into three overarching themes: (1) navigating physiological limits and autonomous health regulation, where nurses utilized biofeedback to bridge the gap between subjective fatigue and physiological reality; (2) emotional dissonance and the struggle for agency, involving the negotiation of workplace demands; and (3) integrating professional growth and personal revitalization, where health management became a strategy for professional identity formation.

The use of visual biofeedback served as a catalyst for participants to reflect on and transition toward proactive self-regulation, instead of passive endurance. The findings suggest that supporting early-career nurses requires not only rest but also tools to visualize physiological states and organizational support to foster professional agency, linking health management directly to career sustainability.