Abstract
Purpose: This study intends to clarify the practical knowledge of outpatient nurses by the verbal expression of expert nurses to reveal latent experiences—a process of that can measure nurses' job satisfaction.
Method: Data were collected using interviews conducted with six outpatient nurses who each had five years experience and worked in a polyclinic hospital. They talked about their “job satisfaction” experienced while practicing. The results were analyzed using the modified grounded theory approach, suggested by Dr. Y Kinoshita.
Results: Expert outpatient nurses manage the entire space with [practical knowledge to view, understand, and control the entire outpatient space]. They are always sensitive to the needs of their patients, and [use practical knowledge related to the event at hand] to care for patients appropriately. Such effort provide a connection with future examinations, allowing the [use of practical knowledge over a series of events] to provide continuous and effective nursing care. Nurses experience actual feelings based on patient's reactions during such individual events and series of events, providing support for patients during their normal lives in society, and thereby [attaining a sense of job satisfaction]. Moreover, nurses who feel satisfied with their jobs do not remain content with current circumstances, and instead work hard to achieve self-growth [and the path to nurse autonomy].
Conclusion: The following became clear by this study. Practical knowledge of outpatient nursing is practiced based on the general ideas of “time” and “space,” and it is refined through actions that require a great deal of skill.
