This study seeks to clarify the guidance needed to promote nurses' growth in their second year after graduation who find it difficult to act independently, as observed by practical instructors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 practical instructors who were experienced in teaching practicing second-year nurses who find it difficult to act independently. The data obtained were analyzed qualitatively and inductively. Results showed that growth-promoting guidance for practicing second-year nurses who find it difficult to act independently consisted of eight categories: [guidance through the understanding of others], [guidance to convey and be close to the desired figure], [guidance for conveying and approving small amounts of growth to the individual and surrounding people], [guidance leading to proactive learning], [guidance on the code of conduct that is required for nurses who must face the facts as they are], [guidance for assessing report content], [continuation of individual guidance by the same practical instructor], and [guidance for recognizing issues and providing guidance throughout the hospital ward]. These eight categories were broadly divided into the building of relationships with practicing second-year nurses who find it difficult to act independently, guidance on their responsibilities as nurses, and a support system for the entire hospital ward. These results highlight the need for individualized educational support plans and suggest the importance of developing an educational guidance system for practical instructors in hospital organizations that promotes the growth of practicing second-year nurses who find it difficult to act independently.

Objectives: Although 51.0% of Japanese people wish to die at home, almost 70% die in hospital. This qualitative study was conducted to clarify hopes for an ideal environment surrounding end of life among female residents on Yoron Island, with a home death rate of 40.0%, and obtain suggestions for solutions to social barriers that impede the realization of their hopes.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews and used qualitative inductive analysis to analyze responses.

Results: Eleven women responded, with two of them wishing to die at home. Many of these 11 women emphasized the importance of "how to spend the end of life" rather than "where to die." However, when it came to people close to these 11 responders, they said if those people close to them want to die at home, the responders were willing to assist them in home death. Social barriers included role consciousness based on gender differences and the lack of a home care system.

Conclusion: The respondents might not have expressed their hopes of home death because of their understanding of the burden of care required at the end of life. To realize their hopes, support for changing regional norms, promotion of mutual aid, and creation of opportunities to learn about death are needed. Nurses are expected to listen to and coordinate the end-of-life wishes. Moreover, nurse managers are expected to extract regional issues from the women's needs for end-of-life care identified by the nurses and to contribute to a community-based integrated care system in collaboration with other institutions.

Purpose: To clarify the structure of nurses' clinical autonomy in special functioning hospitals and to confirm whether there are differences in individual attributes.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted on 877 nurses at clinical ladder level II or higher, working in six special functioning hospitals. We performed item analysis and factor analysis on 50 items related to clinical autonomy. Validity was confirmed through Model fit indices and the Japanese version of the Nursing Activity Scale (NAS-J). Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. We examined potential variations in clinical autonomy due to differences in individual attributes.

Results: Out of the 234 responses analyzed, our factor analysis revealed four factors: "Nursing practice to respect the patient's will," "Practice as professionals in areas of collaboration with doctors," "Satisfaction by fulfilling responsibilities as a nursing professional," and "Practice as professionals in their areas of nursing." Model fit indices were GFI = .853, AGFI = .816, CFI = .910, and RMSEA= .070. The correlation of the four factors with the subordinate concept of the NAS-J was r = .15 to .46. The alpha coefficient of the four factors was .73 to .91. There was a significant difference in clinical ladder levels II and III in "Satisfaction by fulfilling responsibilities as a nursing professional," and in "Practice as professionals in their areas of nursing" around 10 years of experience.

Conclusions: The clinical autonomy of nurses in special functioning hospitals has a four-factor structure, and its reliability and validity have been confirmed.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between Presenteeism of female nurses and the interaction between work and family working hours of couples and wife's level of satisfaction with her role in the division of roles at home. Responses were obtained from 421 couples (response rate: 35.6%). The subjects were 331 female nurses who were wives with children under 12 years of age, working in 20 hospitals in Japan, excluding those with invalid responses and those who met the exclusion criteria. An analysis of covariance was conducted with the wife's work impairment score (WIS) as the dependent variable, the interaction between the working hours of the couple at home and work, and the wife's level of satisfaction with her role in the division of roles at home as independent variables. Significant associations were found between wives' WIS and the interaction between hours of housework/childcare by wives and hours worked by husbands at work (p =.008), as well as between wife's level of satisfaction with her role in the division of roles at home (β = -.103, p =.007). In other words, wives' WIS was higher when their hours of housework and childcare exceeded a certain length and hours worked by the husband were shorter. Wives' WIS was also lower when the satisfaction level with her role was higher. The results suggest that family factors influence presenteeism among female nurses raising children with health problems.

This study aimed to identify changes in nursing practice perceived by nurses working under the re-employment system in acute care hospitals with workloads reduced through exemption from night shifts or shorter working hours. The participants were nine nurses (including assistant nurses) who were re-employed with reduced workloads after retirement at four acute care hospitals in the Kinki region. All nurses were assigned to departments in which they had previous experience. This study was a qualitative inductive analysis using semi-structured interviews. Because the workload after re-employment was reduced through measures including exemption from night shifts and shorter working hours, the participants felt that they had more time and were more relaxed, allowing them to "respond to the needs of patients and colleagues when necessary" and to "explain things more carefully". Participants also felt that working in a fixed department allowed them to better understand the details of their work and to "proactively improve their practice". Participants also reported that "awareness of their own ageing gave them a deeper understanding of older patients", and "awareness of their own ageing led them to perform tasks one by one with extra care".

These findings suggest that reduced workloads in re-employment after retirement lead to provision of careful care and proactive improvement in nursing practice. We therefore believe that re-employed nurses continuing to work with reduced workloads will contribute to improving the quality of nursing care in today's healthcare settings, where it is said that there is not enough time to spend on nursing care.

This study focuses on the integration process of nurses who were transferred to a new organization and clarifies their organizational socialization. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five nurses transferred with general ward only experience to ICU one-two years earlier. Narrative-approach analysis identified 12 themes: The participants had accepted the transfer for their career. Once the transfer was formal, they became conservative and had expectations and anxieties; and gathered information about ICU. After joining ICU, they had difficulty acquiring a wide range of new knowledge and skills; faced an ICU culture that accepts only capable nurses; were expected to contribute to the team immediately as an experienced nurse; valued supportive colleagues; and despite questioning the ICU way, worked with them through experiences without pushing the ward's way. In about a year they found it had taken a year to master how to care for patients with severe conditions; felt expectation to assume additional roles; grew as an ICU member becoming able to take, at emergency or medical events, appropriate actions depending on what other staff are doing; their ward experience and new perspective were appreciated. Their pre-transfer impressions were formed from their past experiences and information about ICU. After joining ICU, although they were confused by the unique culture as well as the hasty expectation, they actively dealt with their colleagues and the organization to be useful and reforming. The above suggests it is necessary to respect transferred nurses' experience and have a welcoming workplace culture on the part of the ICU.

Objective: This investigation aims to elucidate the existing landscape of cross-departmental nursing support within operating rooms. In accordance with the stipulations of the comprehensive hospitalization system augmentation, a multicenter joint cross-sectional study was orchestrated.

Methods: The study encompassed 865 facilities that handled over 800 cases per year involving general anesthesia.

Results: Upon scrutinizing responses from 244 facilities, 198 establishments (hereinafter referred to as the "no-support group") manifested an absence of nursing support in the operating room from other departments, comprising a substantial 81.1%. Conversely, 46 facilities (18.9%), denoted as the "support group," exhibited a proactive engagement in nursing support. Significant differentials were observed between the no-support group and the support group in several parameters, including the number of licensed beds, total operating rooms, operative operating rooms, number of operations, average number of operations, and the complement of full-time anesthesiologists. Regression analysis underscored a noteworthy correlation between the number of operating rooms and the aggregate of operating room nurses (p=0.01) (adjusted R²=0.364).

Conclusion: In facilities availing nursing support from other departments, there was a discernible increase in the bidirectional provision of nursing support, particularly from the operating room to other departments. Within facilities subject to the comprehensive hospitalization system augmentation, a notable 81.1% lacked nursing support from other departments. Despite the preeminence of nursing support in facilities with a higher operation count, 93.5% of these establishments actively extended nursing support from the operating room to other departments.

This study aimed to determine which nursing managers, rehired after retirement, reflected on their career transitions and identified the nursing practice skills they applied in their second careers. A qualitative descriptive study, employing semi-structured interviews, was conducted with 19 nursing managers rehired after retirement at a facility in Northern Kyushu, Japan. Nursing managers' experiences were analyzed by categorizing them into two groups: chief nursing officers and deputy chief nursing officers as middle managers, and chief nursing officers as top managers. Four categories were identified among top managers: "experience contributing to organizational development as a role," "knowledge and skills gained through experience," "experience developing the next generation," and "experience working positively while utilizing their own characteristics." For middle management, categories included "Nursing ability through experience," "Experience in dealing with any situation with ingenuity," "Experience in developing others to their own strengths," "Experience in maintaining relationships with staff from different industries," "Experience in acting professionally while continuing to learn," "Experience in using age and individuality in their work," and "Experience in working with different industries." A common thread across both groups was the acquisition and expansion of knowledge and skills as they progressed through their careers.

Purpose: To clarify the involvement of home care teams in supporting self-care in older patients with heart failure, as perceived by visiting nurses.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted at a visiting nursing station in Prefecture A with 13 nurses who had experienced cases of late-stage older patients with heart failure who had not been readmitted for more than six months after discharge.

Results: As a result of the qualitative descriptive analysis, nine categories were generated from 31 subcategories regarding the involvement of the home care team in supporting the self-care of late-stage older patients with heart failure.

Discussion: To prevent older patients with heart failure from being re-admitted to the hospital, it is important for them to have a purpose and role in their home life and want to remain at home. We believe that the keys to long-term home life are "providing relaxed management tailored to the individual patient" and "supporting home life in any way possible while respecting the patient's wishes." We also believe that it is important for everyone not to overlook signs of worsening heart failure by "getting instructions on adding diuretics based on ‘body weight,' which can be determined from everyday measurement" and "paying attention to anything different from usual so it leads to early medical examination." Furthermore, we believe that it is important to provide family guidance that considers adherence so that families can support self-care while understanding the need for heart failure management.

This study aimed to examine the effects of self-esteem and job satisfaction on the vocational identity of nurses who completed a training program related to specified medical acts.

A questionnaire survey was administered to 400 nurses who completed the training. The survey included questions on attributes and items related to the specified medical acts, as well as a vocational identity scale for company employees, a self-esteem scale, and a job satisfaction scale.

Responses were obtained from 102 nurses (response rate: 25.5%). The mean score on the vocational identity scale was 44.2 (SD = 7.2). Multiple regression analysis, with vocational identity as the dependent variable, revealed that a high level of satisfaction with the training system (standard partial regression coefficient β = 0.210, p = 0.003), high self-esteem (β = 0.512, p < 0.001), and overall job satisfaction (β = 0.305, p < 0.001) were associated with higher vocational identity. Conversely, not performing the "Adjustment of drug for continuous infusion (diuretic) in accordance with the condition" (β = -0.271, p < 0.001) and not completing the training on "Insertion of PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter)" (β = -0.185, p = 0.010) were associated with lower vocational identity.

The vocational identity of nurses who have completed training in specified medical acts is related to their satisfaction with the training system, self-esteem, overall job satisfaction, and "Adjustment of drug for continuous infusion (diuretic) in accordance with the condition" as well as "Insertion of PICC".

Aim: This study explored the relationship between nurse managers' competency and their execution of experiential learning and sense of coherence (SOC).

Method: A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted using the T Competency Scale, the Experiential Learning Scale, and the SOC-29 Scale. Participants included 1186 chief nurses working in hospitals with 300 or more beds nationwide; 556 responses were obtained (46.9% valid responses). Multiple regression analysis and structural analysis of covariance were used.

Results: The results of the linear regression analysis of nurse managers' competencies revealed that "concrete experience," "observations and reflections," and "formation of abstract concepts and generalizations" under experiential learning, "sense of manageability" under SOC, "certified nurse manager education course" under attributes, and "years of experience as nurse managers" were explanatory variables. Covariance structure analysis was also performed and path diagrams were generated. We identified a significant correlation between "the competencies assessed" and the ability to learn from experience, with "reflective analysis" of experiential learning showing a particularly strong correlation (r=.553).

Discussion: In this study, nurse managers' competency was influenced more by the proactive behavior of learning from experience than by the internal factor of SOC. It can be said that in addition to the experience itself, reevaluating it from diverse perspectives, as well as one's way of doing and thinking, lead to improved competency.

Objective: To clarify the differences between career development stages among chief nurses based on the transition cycle, using Nicholson model (1990) was referenced.

Methods: We conducted an anonymous questionnaire survey for chief nurses in 24 out of 42 University hospitals in Japan. Career development levels has four stages: stage 1 (encounter), stage 2 (adjustment), stage 3 (stabilization), and stage 4 (preparation). 329 out of 585 participants who provided answers regarding the variables used in the analysis were included in the analysis. The mean age of the participants was 50.9 years old, and 320 (97.3%) were female. There were 76 (23.1%) in the stage 1, 135 (41.0%) in stage 2, 86 (26.1%) in stage 3, and 32 (9.7%) in stage 4. We compared the differences among the career development levels and used multiple logistic analysis to investigate factors affecting these levels. The length of chief nurse experience was associated with all career development levels (first stage, adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.39 [0.28–0.55], second stage, 0.85 [0.78–0.92], third stage, 1.13 [1.04–1.23], fourth stage, 1.26 [1.13–1.41]). In addition, age was associated with the first and third stage of career development levels (first stage, 0.88 [0.81–0.97], third stage, 1.07 [1.00–1.15]), and ward rotation (2.20 [1.18–4.11]) was associated with the second stage of career development. There was no statistical association between career development level and educational background.

Conclusion: Organized structure including education and promotion systems, is necessary for chief nurses to build their career under the hospital system.

Objective: This study aimed to reveal the role behaviors of charge nurses in improving the quality of nursing care at acute care hospitals and their relevant factors.

Methods: An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was provided to 571 charge nurses at 26 acute care hospitals that could accommodate more than 300 patients. The questionnaire comprised of questions about experiences after being promoted to the position of a charge nurse, role behaviors of charge nurses, activities toward improving the quality of nursing care, and a-confidence as a leader. Analysis was performed using Mann–Whitney U test and multiple regression analysis.

Results: Answers from 300 respondents were analyzed. Charge nurses working at hospitals with promotion criteria for them achieved high total scores for role behavior regarding experiences related to education and management before and after promotion. Moreover, the results indicated that the role behaviors of charge nurses were correlated with their confidence as a leader and activities toward improving the quality of nursing care.

Discussion: We believe that charge nurses can perform their role behavior by increasing their awareness about the role as managers via education and management experience. Furthermore, charge nurses require confidence as a leader to perform role behaviors, and fostering confidence in charge nurses may improve the quality of nursing care.

Conclusion: The study results demonstrated that education and management experiences among charge nurses encourage role behaviors, and the role behaviors performed with confidence as a leader prompt them to act toward improving the quality of nursing care.

Purpose: This study aims to identity skills of nurses who have completed specialized nursing skill training (Trained Nurses) employed and as perceived by nurse managers.

Methods: We sent questionnaires with a study participation request by post to nurse managers of 364 facilities in the Kanto Koshinetsu region of Japan, where 912 nurses who have completed specialized nursing skill training were working as of February 2022. We compared the results of the survey by dividing the responses into two groups: Nurse managers perceive that Trained Nurses are employing skills (employing group) and not employing these skills (not-employing group).

Results: We collected 170 responses from 90 facilities (18.6%) : 107 respondents (68.6%) in the employing group, and 43 (27.5%) in the not-employing group. In the employing group, the following items were statistically significantly in common: ‘Support and guidance for subsequently Trained Nurses,' ‘Organizational activities to raise awareness of the training program and the activities of Trained Nurses,' ‘Sharing problems of activities of Trained Nurses and discussing improvement measures,' ‘Activity arrangements for Trained Nurses based on organizational views,' ‘Enabling cross-sectional activities,' ‘Proactive attitude toward the training system,' and ‘Determining who to place in training based on the organizational needs.' In the not-employing group, ‘Difficult to utilize the skills of Trained Nurses' was statistically significantly common.

Discussion: To utilize the Trained Nurse skills, organizations need to share the effects of Trained Nurses and consider assignments enabling Trained Nurses to demonstrate their skills, and Trained Nurses need to establish an education arrangement by themselves.

Objective: To compare job crafting (JC) by the presence/absence of roles/nursing experiences and the realization of personal growth, and to identify the relationship between JC and support from supervisors among nurses at two to five years post-graduation.

Method: Nurses at six institutions with 200 or more beds were asked to complete an anonymous self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire included items on attributes, 16 roles/nursing experiences, realization of personal growth through roles/nursing experiences, support from supervisors, and JC scores. Statistical analyses were performed using the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and correlation analysis with a significance level of 5% (two-sided).

Results: Of the 253 distributed questionnaires, 93 were collected (36.8% response rate). Over 60% of nurses reported positive personal growth realization in all 13 roles/nursing experiences. Mean JC score was 3.91 (±0.51). JC scores were significantly higher for nurses with experience being in charge of urgent patient conditions. A significant association between JC scores and a sense of growth in roles such as ‘being a member of department activity', ‘participating committee activity', and ‘attending conference with other professions' was observed. A slightly positive correlation emerged between supervisor support and JC scores.

Conclusion: Developing nurses proficient in JC requires continuing education in training to deal with emergencies, and support to enhance their role-associated sense of growth. Creating an environment supportive supervisor environment is crucial for fostering nurse development in JC.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the nursing management experiences perceived by chief nurses as influential in their professional growth during the early stages of their careers.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with chief nurses working in hospitals with more than 300 general beds in Prefecture A. The data obtained from the interviews was analyzed using a qualitative and inductive approach.

Results: The interview data from 11 chief nurses representing four facilities were analyzed. Several nursing management experiences were identified as contributing to the growth of chief nurses in the early stages of their careers. These included "participating in nursing management alongside the chief nurse", "closely supporting staff members", "demonstrating trust in and entrusting responsibilities to the staff", "imparting the true essence of nursing to the staff", "stepping up in the absence of the chief nurse", "taking initiative to improve work processes", "promoting and improving hospital organization policies", and "fostering cooperation and collaboration across departments".

Discussion: The study's findings highlighted how newly appointed chief nurses leverage the support and personal interaction with their staff members, along with their wealth of nursing experience. In particular, "closely supporting staff members", "demonstrating trust in and entrusting responsibilities to the staff", "imparting the true essence of nursing to the staff" were revealed to be influential in professional growth as nursing management experiences. The nursing management experiences that led to the growth of chief nurses in the early stages of their careers can be an opportunity to acquire the "technical skills," "human skills," and "conceptual skills" required to fulfill the role of a nursing manager. It was suggested.

This study sought to clarify the outpatient nursing competencies of an advanced treatment hospital (Hospital A). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 nurse administrators working in the outpatient department of a hospital with 500 or more beds in the Kanto area regarding what they consider excellent outpatient nursing practices.

The results were analyzed qualitatively and inductively. The analysis yielded 82 codes for outpatient nursing competencies. These codes were abstracted based on their similarities and differences, and 6 categories and 18 subcategories were extracted. Each category was given a name that characterized it.

The six categories were as follows: [I. Ability to flexibly process work to facilitate outpatient care], [II. Ability to identify patients who need assistance from among those examined], [III. Ability to support the safety and comfort of outpatient treatment based on professional knowledge], [IV. Continuous treatment support for those receiving outpatient care], [V. Ability to collaborate with each specialist (division)], and [VI. Ability to support the diverse needs of outpatients]. Thus, in order to contribute to the enhancement of hospital outpatient functions in the community-based integrated care system, individual nurses should have a balance of the six competencies and maximize their abilities according to these medical functions. Going forward, the applicability of the findings to other advanced treatment hospitals must be considered. Additionally, Hospital A must be compared with other hospitals with different medical functions, enabling the identification of characteristics of these hospitals and their commonalities with Hospital A.

This study clarifies the management practices that head nurse implement to promote cooperation between nursing and long-term care staff when considering methods of care for patients with long-term hospitalization in medical care beds. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews lasting approximately 60 minutes with seven head nurse with 1 to 8 years of experience as head nurse in medical care bed units. As a result of qualitative and inductive analysis of the content of the data revealed that the management by head nurse to promote cooperation between nursing and long-term care staff for patients was composed of six categories. "Overseeing the ward while providing care" was identified as the basic style of management, and the specific aspects included "understanding the impact of staffing on medical care bed units," "adapting to the characteristics of nursing and long-term care staff ," "establishing an environment for nursing and long-term care staff to cooperate," "utilizing joint conferences with nursing and long-term care staff," and "encouraging considering of care methods that respect the patient`s wishes." The head nurse of a medical care bed is a playing manager, and this study suggests that in a medical care bed where the staff and patient are complex and diverse, playing managers are a form of management that promotes cooperation between nursing and long-term care staff. Our findings suggests that cooperation between nursing and long-term care staff can be promoting utilizing patient-centered conferences and by adopting a work style of task of sharing rather than task shifting.

Objective: To clarify the factors related to active medical safety management behaviors among nurse managers.

Methods: We distributed a self-administered questionnaire to 876 nurse managers from 19 hospitals that have reported medical safety measures and analyzed 377 valid responses (43%). A t-test was conducted using items about Safety-II—an active medical safety management behaviors—as the dependent variable and medical safety experience, organizational support, and perceived difficulty after a medical accident as independent variables. Gender and years of experience were the adjustment variables in the covariance analysis.

Results: Medical safety management behaviors scores were significantly higher for those who had experienced level-3b incidents or higher, had been asked by their family to use their accident experience, had support from the medical safety management department for planning countermeasures, and had a medical safety manager covering the hospital wards. Medical safety management behaviors scores were significantly lower for those who found it difficult to obtain cooperation from physicians after the accident, shared information with physicians and supervisors, and sustained crisis management awareness in the department. We identified experience of medical accidents, family relations, and organizational support as facilitating factors of Safety-II medical safety management behaviors and authority gradient and governance status as inhibiting factors.

Objective: The aim of this study is to elucidate the stages of career development for male nurse managers and identify factors influencing the unique career development of male nurses, with the goal of considering career support for male nurses based on the narratives of male nurse managers.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five male nurse managers holding the position of head nurse in general hospitals. Following the interviews, verbatim transcripts were created, focusing on how male nurse managers perceive and facilitate career development as nurses. Data were categorized based on the similarity of content.

Results: Four categories were extracted as stages of career development for male nurse managers: [Uncertainty and diverse backgrounds regarding the nursing profession], [Reinterpreting roles as expanding both personally and professionally], [Having independence over one's career], and [Taking on managerial roles while uncertain]. Three categories of gender consciousness influencing career development were identified: [There are gender differences but try not to be aware of them], [Recognition of the utility of being male], and [Expectation of the active involvement of male nurses].

Discussion: It was considered that male nurses tend to face difficulties in career development before and after employment compared to female nurses. Additionally, male nurses were found to have an advantage in career development based on family roles compared to their female counterparts. Gender consciousness was deemed a significant factor in the career development of male nurses.

This study aimed to gain insights into the strategies and tactics used for retaining new nurses in small- and medium-sized hospitals in Japan. Accordingly, an interview survey was conducted among eight hospital administrators at five hospitals in the Tokai and Kansai regions, which were implementing initiatives to retain new nurses. The hospitals considered were located in regional cities with fewer than 500 beds. The survey identified two strategies for human resource retention: "creating a socialization space for new nurses within the organization" and "flexibility in adapting the organizational system to accommodate new nurses"; additionally, 15 tactics were observed, which were categorized into "job involvement," "self-efficacy," "on-the-job training," "emotional commitment," "mental health measures," and "mentoring-based approaches." The study found that in small- and medium-sized hospitals, where administrators' beliefs are easily permeated, low barriers between departments can help retain new nurses. Owing to a declining birthrate, recruiting new nurses in small- and medium-sized hospitals in regional cities is expected to become increasingly difficult. Additionally, the retention of new nurses will emerge as a major issue, necessitating the accumulation of reports focused on retention strategies.

In recent years, the number of high-risk expectant and nursing mothers has been increasing due to the declining birthrate and increasing maternal age. To provide safe and quality care to at-risk mothers, it is important to support the job retention of novice midwives working in the Maternal-Fetal Intensive Care Unit (MFICU). A qualitative descriptive study was conducted to investigate the experiences of novice midwives working in the MFICU ward at the Comprehensive Perinatal Maternal and Child Health Care Center. This study focused on experiences that encouraged the novice midwives' continued employment in midwifery care. Interviews were conducted with four midwives who had worked in the MFICU ward during their first or second year of employment and were still working at the Comprehensive Perinatal Maternal and Child Health Care Center in their third or fourth year of employment. After the interviews, verbatim transcripts were made and analyzed by M-GTA, based on which 41 concepts and 8 categories were generated. Novice midwives entered the workforce with <vague expectations of learning about high-risk situations> and experienced <fear of being in a tougher situation than expected> and <feeling inexperienced>. However, they gradually experienced <stamping out the desire to quit>. Although exasperated with their own inexperience, they began <seeking what [they] could do>, <growing confidence>, <recognizing the attractiveness of the MFICU ward>, and <aiming to become a midwife one step at a time>.