Mental wellbeing of nurse educators at work

The aim of the study was to assess the mental wellbeing of nurse educators at their work by means of self-assessment. Questionnaires were sent to 100 randomly selected trained nurse educators. Data were collected from 83 respondents. The nurse educators evaluated their mental wellbeing as being rather good. There were, however, some contradictions in the answers to questions covering identical work areas but having somewhat different formulation. The disadvantages of being a nurse educator, as listed by the respondents, included: too much work, and especially too many administrative duties, communication breakdowns with the directors of the nursing college, and underestimation by others of the value of teaching as such. As characteristics of the job promoting a sense of wellbeing, the nurse educators mentioned their interaction and relationships with the students. In addition, the demands and challenges of the work were found very interesting and rewarding.