Clarification of the Concepts of “Job Demands” and “Job Resources” among Public Health Nurses

Abstract

For the purpose of clarifying the components comprising the concepts of “job demands” and “job resources” among public health nurses, semi- structured interviews were conducted with eight public health nurses, and their statements explaining the motivation to leave or to stay at their position in any given situation were recorded.
The results showed that the job demands of public health nurses comprise the following eleven categories: “quantitative work overload”; “qualitative work overload”; “transformation of various duties”; “professional role conflict”; “interpersonal conflict”; “lack of effective leadership”; “undeveloped project evaluation system”; “burden from workplace culture”; “devaluation of the nursing sector within the health organization”; “difficulty dealing with the organizational administration”; and “negative mutual impact of individuals and work”.
The results also showed that the job resources of public health nurses comprise the following eight categories: “job satisfaction”; “perception that their work is meaningful”; “perception of control in work”; “evaluation and expectations from others”; “support of senior staff, colleagues, and superiors”; “support of family and friends”; “good working conditions”; and “positive mutual impact of individuals and work”.
The job demands and resources of public health nurses were considered to have a hierarchical structure, from the individual to the departmental to the organization level, wherein personal work and the function of each segment of the hierarchy mutually affect each another.