"Scheduling Is Everything": A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Job and Schedule Satisfaction of Staff Nurses and Nurse Managers

Details

• Journal Article:
  Western Journal of Nursing Research
• Personal Author:
  Witkoski Stimpfel, Amy ; Leep-Lazar, Kathryn ; Mercer, Maile ; DeMarco, Kathleen
• Description:
  Background: Shift work and scheduling are major contributors to occupational stress for nurses, leading to job dissatisfaction and risk of turnover. Nurse scheduling processes are complex, as they are dynamically linked to nurse staffing and patient demand. Objective: This study sought to describe barriers and facilitators influencing job and scheduling satisfaction among staff nurses and nurse managers. Methods: We used a qualitative descriptive design. The sampling frame included staff nurses and nurse managers employed at an urban academic medical center. Participants (N = 16) completed individual semi-structured Zoom interviews from August 2023 to February 2024, which were audio recorded and transcribed. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Results: The overarching theme identified was "Scheduling is everything," reflecting the importance of scheduling for nurses' satisfaction in and outside of work. Both staff nurses and managers identified tensions between scheduling for patient care needs (e.g., adequate staffing) and scheduling to optimize staff needs (e.g., health, sleep). They also identified staffing shortfalls as a contributor to these scheduling tensions. Staff nurses reported that scheduling challenges compromised their health and well-being, caused work-family conflict, and influenced turnover intentions. Facilitators of scheduling satisfaction included scheduling flexibility, autonomy, and equity. Participants also provided pragmatic ideas for improving scheduling processes. Conclusions: Our study explored perspectives on job and scheduling satisfaction through the lens of both staff and managers. Scheduling challenges contribute to nurses' job dissatisfaction and turnover intentions. By increasing scheduling flexibility, equity, and integrating nurse-led innovations into the scheduling process, healthcare organizations can potentially increase nurse retention.
• Subjects:
  Health Personnel Nurses Occupational Health Safety Shift Work Schedule
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Nursing; Health Occupations; Workplace; Personal Satisfaction Nurses; Nursing; Work Schedules; Job Stress; Shift Work; Employee Satisfaction; Qualitative Analysis; Wellbeing; Work-family Conflict;
• Source:
  West J Nurs Res 2025 Oct; 47(10):912-923
• ISSN:
  0193-9459
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; New York City Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  12 pdf pages
• Volume:
  47
• Issue:
  10
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20071323
• Contact Point Address:
  Amy Witkoski Stimpfel, New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, 433 First Avenue, Office 658, New York, NY 10010, USA
• Email:
  as8078@nyu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2026
• Performing Organization:
  Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:95f3856a51b875c8fe7c1a27c9ad2531bdb028348c9248e9f23c6584de03e381f0b3b1b1d5c3c0c0734678ca3437531ff68e81666c32bb3d509e45fc842a2aca
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/258799/cdc_258799_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 291.23 KB ]