Relationships Between Experience, Attitude, and Charge Nurse Role Performance among ICU Nurses after a 6-Month Preparatory Program

Abstract

This explanatory correlational research aimed to study the relationship between experience and attitudes with charge nurse role performance among Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses after a 6-month preparatory program. The 31 participants were recruited using a census method from among the trained nurses. A questionnaire consisting of 3 parts was used which consisted of: 1) an experience data recording form, 2) an attitude assessment form, and 3) a charge nurse role performance assessment form. Content validity was verified by experts, yielding content validity indices of 0.96 and 0.99, and Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients of 0.97 and 0.94, respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation analysis of study variables using Pearson's correlation coefficients.

The research findings revealed that: 1) all participants had experience in both work performance and charge nurse role performance, 2) overall they had positive attitudes toward their charge nurse roles at a high level, and 3) they demonstrated the ability to perform their charge nurse roles both in the individual and overall dimensions at a fully operational level. When examining the correlations, it was found that work experience duration had statistically significantly moderate correlations with charge nurse role performance in the critical nursing care dimension and nursing workforce management dimension at p <.05. Attitudes had statistically significantly moderate correlations with charge nurse role performance in patient care quality monitoring, leadership, and overall charge nurse role performance, at p < .05. These research findings highlight the necessity of organizing preparatory program to enhance charge nurse competencies. Therefore, planning and managing nurse preparation training should be implemented before assuming charge nurse roles in critical care units.