Working Well in a Dynamic Nursing Career: A Critical Incident Technique Study of Nurses' Actions for a Sustainable...

A sustainable working life for nurses involves creating conditions that allow productivity and well-being to be maintained throughout a nursing career. To address nurses' health and well-being, as well as the ongoing shortage of nurses, it is essential to understand the key elements that contribute to a sustainable working life for nurses.

The aim was to explore and describe nurses' actions in situations that are important to sustainability in their working lives, as well as why these actions matter and how they contribute to sustainable working life across the career span.

An exploratory descriptive design using a qualitative research approach based on Flanagan's critical incident technique (CIT).

Forty-seven nurses (general and specialist) from diverse fields of care within three healthcare regions in Sweden were interviewed between April and October 2024.

A two-step sampling approach was used. Data were analyzed inductively, in line with the guidelines for CIT.

Nurses employed various individual-, organizational-, and team-oriented strategies to maintain a sustainable working life. Organizational support played a vital role. Supportive leadership adopting a "person-first" approach and a positive organizational culture facilitated work-life balance, professional development, and effective teamwork. Negative organizational cultures, such as excessive workloads and ethical conflicts, reduced nurses' well-being and willingness to remain with the organization.

Sustainability in nursing emerged as a dynamic process shaped by the interaction between nurses' adaptive strategies and organizational conditions, particularly supportive leadership and a positive organizational culture. This underscores the importance of integrated, long-term management approaches that balance individual needs, professional development, and supportive work environments to sustain nurses' engagement across the career span.