Feeling Heard Flips the Switch: Defining the Power of Professional Nurses

Power plays an important role in nursing practice, yet there is limited research into how nurses themselves understand and use it. As staffing concerns grow, many nurses report feeling unable to influence change. Existing research often frames power as something that is granted to nurses rather than something they experience internally; this grounded theory study examines how nurses and nurse leaders perceive and enact power in practice. The resulting theory, feeling heard flips the switch, affirms that nurses access power when they feel heard. Feeling heard activates agency, enabling nurses to advocate for patients and themselves and fostering healthier work environments that support recruitment and retention.