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Public nursing home staff’s experience of participating in an intervention aimed at enhancing their self‐esteem
Author(s) -
WADENSTEN BARBRO,
ENGSTRÖM MARIA,
HÄGGSTRÖM ELISABETH
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of nursing management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1365-2834
pISSN - 0966-0429
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2009.00968.x
Subject(s) - nursing , self esteem , work (physics) , empowerment , intervention (counseling) , psychology , nurse education , medical education , medicine , social psychology , mechanical engineering , political science , law , engineering
Aim The aim of the present study was to gain an understanding of how nursing staff experienced participating in a training programme aimed at strengthening their self‐esteem and empowering them, to determine whether participation benefited them in any way, and to describe their opinions about possible benefits or disadvantages. Background Staff working in institutions such as nursing homes have a low status in society. A training programme was introduced to staff in a public nursing home. It focused on helping them understand factors in the work situation that influence them and on empowering them. Method The study was explorative and qualitative in design. Findings The participants in the programme were generally satisfied with it. Their opinions about the benefits they received from the programme can be described using three themes: ‘improved communication skills’, ‘enhanced self‐esteem’ and ‘sees work in a different light’. Conclusions The most important finding of the present study is that it was possible to strengthen and empower staff. Staff members were generally pleased and satisfied with the content/organization of the training programme. They felt the programme had been of value to them by improving their communication skills and increasing their self‐esteem. Implications for nursing management The present result could be of value to managers and educators working in the area of nursing home care when planning education and development activities for staff. Learning to communicate better and understand the social structure at the workplace could improve staff members’ self‐esteem, thereby enhancing the work situation and atmosphere as well as empowering the individuals.