Perceptions of Personal and Professional Self-value in Nursing Personnel: A Phenomenological Study

Introduction: Research has shown that professional behavior is related to the image one holds for himself/herself and accordingly to his/her personal worth perception. Moreover, perception of professional effectiveness and worthy professional accomplishments, associated with ones’ personal and professional worth appraisal, has been linked with resilience to professional burnout. However, the process of personal and professional appraisal has not been extensively studied in the realm of professional nursing. Aim: The aim of the study was the investigation of perceptions and feelings relative to personal and professional worth in nursing population employed in general adult hospitals. Material and Method: A qualitative methodology was applied based on phenomenological approach. A written informed consent was obtained from 18 participants actively employed in public and private hospitals. Purposive sampling was used based on the criterion of data and theoretical saturation. Results: The findings of the present study revealed: (a) the personal worth appraisal process and (b) a continuous interaction between personal and professional worth perception. Specifically, it was revealed the cognitive process through which participants evaluated their personal and professional worth, and fundamental factors related to the lived experience of positive feelings. Conclusions: Interventions aiming to augment perceptions of self-worth are expected to strengthen nurses’ perceptions’ about their professional worth and occupational effectiveness, all resulting to enhanced resilience to burnout. Furthermore, interventions in organizational level aiming to support nursing personnel to accomplish personal and professional goals are expected to buffer stressful work-related conditions and enhance their personal value perception.

Category: Volume 56, N 4
Hits: 1082 Hits
Created Date: 15-12-2017
Authors: Maria N.K. Karanikola , Maria Kalafati , Anna Koutroubas , Elizabeth DE Papathanassoglou