Purpose: To clarify the factors that affect the confidence of nurses with two to three years' clinical experience with regard to being shift leaders in order to examine how such leaders should be supported and trained.

Method: A questionnaire survey was conducted of 58 nurses with two to three years of clinical experience and 116 nurses with six or more years of clinical experience who work at hospitals affiliated with the faculties of medicine of Japanese national universities. The questionnaire covered the following: (1) attributes such as the number of years of clinical and shift leader experience, (2) 46 items on confidence with regard to being shift leaders, (3) self-efficacy scale.

Results: Factor analysis of the 46 items on confidence with regard to being shift leaders provided three factors: nursing ability, ability as leadership, and work performance. These three factors were used to compare confidence with regard to being shift leaders between nurses with two to three years' experience and those having six or more years' experience. The nurses with two to three years of experience had a significantly lower average score for each factor than those with six or more years' experience.

Conclusion: When the average scores for the three factors were compared between the nurses with two or three years' experience and those with six or more years' experience, the nurses with two to three years' experience had a lower average score for all the factors. It suggested that clinical experience greatly affects nurses' confidence as shift leader. To build nurses' confidence with regard to being ward shift leaders, it is advisable for the staff and the manager to understand what nurses in the shift leader role with two to three years' experience think and how to support them.

The aim of this study was to verify the effectiveness of preceptors using four different styles of communication in preceptorship for new graduate nurses. Four different styles of communication are one of many coaching skills. Subjects of this study included new graduate nurses employed by the University Hospital in Tokyo and their preceptors. We divided the preceptors and their paired new graduate nurses into the following two groups: those who participated in workshops on four different styles of communication (intervention group) and those who did not (nonintervention group). These communication styles were employed in this study using a simplified version of the Communication Style Inventory. We administered a questionnaire to new graduate nurses on the social support scale and their attitude toward their preceptors 4 months after entering employment. We obtained valid responses from 60 of the total of 128 subjects (33 from the intervention group and 27 from the nonintervention group). We then conducted factor analysis to clarify the framework of the social support scale, and extracted the following two factors: "correct assessment of occupational problem solving (α=0.93)" and "daily psychological support (α=0.91)." The overall social support average scores were 61.55±8.86 in the intervention group and 56.22±11.75 in the nonintervention group (p=0.049).The average scores for "correct assessment of occupational problem solving" were 28.12±3.28 in the intervention group and 25.63±5.07 in the nonintervention group (p=0.003).When we compared the attitudes of new graduate nurses toward their preceptors between the two groups, the responses "dependable" and "able to impart specialist occupational knowledge and techniques" were significantly more frequent in the intervention group than in the nonintervention group. Very few answered that they perceived their preceptors as "strict." These results suggest that the involvement of a preceptor using four different styles of communication is a form of support that increases new graduate nurses' perception of support and facilitates workplace adaptation.

The purpose of this study was to clarify the job satisfaction of nurses working in hospitals that have adopted the work-life balance.The study subjects were 553 female nurses working in four hospitals that had introduced flexible systems of work. The questionnaire included an individual attribute, the value of life, and job satisfaction (as measured by "management system," "relationships with colleagues," "professionalism," and "self-realization as nurses"). Questionnaires were returned by 420 nurses, and 376 responses were valid.

1. 66 nurses were using flexible work systems (flexible group) and 310 nurses were working under regular systems (regular group).

2. Nurses of the flexible group had children, worked part-time, and were married.

3. Scores for "relationships with colleagues," "professionalism," and "self-realization as nurses" were lower in the flexible group than in the regular group.

4. There was no difference between the two groups in "the value of life."

The results suggested that there is need to increase the job satisfaction of the flexible group and to investigate the nurse's aspirations for work–life balance.

This study aimed to clarify the previous experiences of nurses involving nursing policy which led to their current position in addition to identify strategies for increasing nurse's interest in nursing policy. A semi-structured interview was carried out with six nurses involving nursing policy, whose positions included politician's secretary, administrative officer, and a board member of a political organization for nursing professions. Qualitative analyses of verbatim record of interviews generated three categories regarding experiences leading to careers in nursing policy (Experience that led to interest in nursing policy, experiences that deepened the understanding of nursing policy, and the responses of those around the interviewee with regard to their interest) and two categories relating to thoughts and opinions on strategies to increase nurse's interest in nursing policy (Obstacles to raise interest in nursing policy, and possible measures for raising interest in nursing policy). These results suggest that for nurses interested in choosing careers in nursing policy, it is important to have some kind of connection to people who have already involved in this field. Additionally, learning about health and nursing policy as part of the basic nursing education and having some other knowledge of healthcare systems and nursing practice overseas were also suggested as important. We conclude that by developing an effective way of disseminating information on policy to clinical nurses, improving information literacy of nurses, and targeting younger people, are useful approaches to establish system to encourage nurses to have interest on nursing policy.

This research aims to assist nurses in their forties who work with great vigor and enthusiasm in their dispatched work scenes. It aims to do so by using a process to define "nursing care" in collaboration with such nurses themselves. The method is to select 10 nurses in their forties with more than 20 years of experience from 3 hospitals in the Kanto region. The next step is to interview these nurses using a semi-constitutive questionnaire and then analyze the responses qualitatively and inductively. The result is divided into 15 categories.1. Gain the trust of the patient as an individual.2. Gain motivation by helping the patient.3. Remember episodes and experiences that changed existing beliefs.4. Develop a sudden awareness of the halfway mark of our lives.5. Comprehend our position by adapting to our age.6. Step back.7. Work without expectation.8. Recognize the doctor as a colleague.9. Have confidence in our skills and nursing practices.10. Aim to look after future generations with consideration.11. Continue working without a title, but with a small wish to acquire one.12. Complain about the chief and head nurse.13. Be concerned with a sensitive relationship with the head nurses.14. Experience frustration and discontentedness due to the lack of a proper bedside relationship with the patient.15. Understand that lack of communication is the root cause of all problems.These categories will be converged in to 3 core categories: "Recognizing the patient as an individual acts as a motivational factor," "Being aware of our own flexibility with regard to work," and "Even hardships and discontentedness are motivators rather than deterrents."