Exploring nurses’ work preferences in a nursing home context : a qualitative study

Facing the increasing rate of nursing shortages, work pressure and turnover among nurses, the aim of this research was to acquire insight into the work preferences of both the internal workforce as well as the external labor market of nurses level 3 and level 4. Although ample research provides insight into the satisfaction and motivation of nurses with the job and organization, limited research evidence is available concerning the work schedule preferences of nurses. To identify the work schedule preferences, a qualitative research design was used. The main findings indicate a gap between the preferred work schedule and the required patient care. Potential reasons can be found in work-life balance needs, number of employment hours and preferred level of work schedule flexibility. Next, the results indicate differences between the work preferences of young and older aged nurses regarding pay and benefits and learning and development needs.