This research examined the values, actions and decisions that nurses have in common with respect to roster scheduling, which was defined as the "work roster culture," in their respective departments, and sought to find the connections between the constituent factors and the attributes of the nurses' roster and their degree of satisfaction with the roster. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted on 1,565 full-time nurses working in hospitals with over 200 beds (excluding those who produced the rosters) throughout Japan. Nine hundred and seventeen valid responses were obtained (with a response rate of 58.6%). The factor analyses found that the "work roster culture" comprised three factors; "consideration for other nurses," "respect for other individuals' rights and lifestyles," and "respect for the hierarchical relationship between senior and junior nurses." In terms of the connection between the "roster culture" and marriage status of the nurse in the "consideration of other nurses" (t=3.759, p<.001) and "respect for the hierarchical relationship between senior and junior nurses" (t=4.661, p<.001), unmarried nurses had significantly higher scores than married nurses. Moreover, nurses with children younger than school age had significantly higher scores for "respect for other individuals' rights and lifestyles" (t=2.114, p<.005) and "respect for the hierarchical relationship between senior and junior nurses" (t=2.233, p<.005) than nurses with school-age children.

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the competencies of nurses engaged in recovery rehabilitation nursing and to assess difficulty levels involved to develop on-the-job training programs.

Method: Behavioral Event Interview was conducted on 16 nurses who had been working for over three years in a recovery rehabilitation ward. Data were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach.

Results: A total of 190 behaviors of nurses were obtained. After abstraction, a total of 10 competencies were identified as follows: ‘Fostering a caring relationship aimed at overcoming disability'; ‘Gathering information about life after discharge from the beginning of hospitalization'; ‘Maintaining physical and mental condition to aid rehabilitation'; ‘Management the objective towards reconstruction of life'; ‘Promoting behavior modification including interventions to encourage self-efficacy'; ‘Helping preparations for a return home'; ‘Providing support for families'; ‘Instilling belief and enthusiasm among nurses who lack experience in rehabilitation nursing'; ‘Taking a multidisciplinary approach for the benefit of patients and their families'; and ‘Allowing time for reflection and personal growth'. Finally, indications of behavior, scored from 1 to 4 according to level of difficulty, were provided for each competency.

Conclusion: In present study, the competencies of nurses engaged in recovery rehabilitation nursing and those difficulty levels were clarified. It should be verified statistically about the difficulty levels.

This study aimed to elucidate the quality of occupational experiences and problem solving skills that are utilized by nurses nearing retirement age who want to continue working after retirement. A survey was conducted on 229 nurses nearing retirement age (55 to 60 years) and 401 nurses in their 30s to 40s who are working at Japanese hospitals. We examined the Self-Evaluation Scale of the Occupational Experiences for Nurses (Occupational Experiences), the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI), the nurses' attributes, their intention to continue working, and their desired employment status. The scores on the Occupational Experiences and PSI were compared between nurses nearing retirement age and those in their 30s to 40s. Furthermore, we analyzed how Occupational Experiences and PSI were related with their attributes, intention to continue working, and desired employment status. The mean Occupational Experiences score was significantly higher for nurses nearing retirement age than those in their 30s to 40s. Furthermore, nurses nearing retirement age who have a managerial position and intend to continue working had higher scores than others. The mean PSI score did not differ significantly; however, confidence in problem solving was significantly higher for nurses nearing retirement age than those in their 30s to 40s. Additionally, nurses nearing retirement age who have a managerial position showed significantly higher scores than others.

These results suggest that when considering how to utilize nurses nearing retirement age, employers should ensure the nurses' experience and knowledge match their desired employment status. Moreover, employers should permit them to utilize their management skills.

This study clarified the correlation between professional autonomy and years of experience among university hospital nurses. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire including the autonomy measurement scale for nurses was given to 589 university hospital nurses. The nurses were classified into five groups based on their years of experience (<1 year, ≥1–<3 years, ≥3–<10 years, ≥10–<20 years, and ≥20 years). In total, 435 nurses responded (response rate: 73.9%), and 371 questionnaires without missing answers were included in this study. The mean measurement of professional autonomy scores in the (<1 year, ≥1–<3 years, ≥3–<10 years, ≥10–<20 years, and ≥20 years groups were 2.66 (SD: 0.58), 3.10 (SD: 0.46), 3.41 (SD: 0.41), 3.54 (SD: 0.52), and 4.02 (SD: 0.46), respectively. Significant differences were observed between the nurses in the <1 year and ≥1–<3 years groups, the ≥1–<3 years and ≥3–<10 years groups, and the ≥10–<20 years and ≥20 years groups (p < 0.01 to p < 0.001). Moreover, a significant difference was observed between the ≥20 years group and all other groups (p <0 .01 to p < 0.001). Among university hospital nurses of this target institution, a steady increase was observed in nurses with 1–10 years' experience, no change was observed in the 11–20 years group, and a steady increase was observed in the ≥20 years' group. Finally, the findings suggested the educational methods for the professional autonomy of the nursing profession should be established based on the years of experience.