A workload model for nurse educators in private higher education: options for improved productivity and job satisfaction

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Nursing education in South Africa is continuously being influenced by significantchanges in all spheres of higher education. There is little doubt that most of thesechanges have a major impact on the workload of nurse educators in private highereducation, possibly even more so in relatively young and developing private highereducation institutions. Considering recent contextual changes, this study aimed atinvestigating the workload position of nurse educators within a typical private highereducation institute in South Africa and developing a realistic and suitable workloadmodel that may contribute to raising the efficiency, work satisfaction and productivitybenchmark of nurse educators. In this study the researcher employed the systemstheory and expectancy theory as theoretical lenses to understand the phenomenonof both the theoretical and clinical components of nurse education and their relationto motivation, productivity and job satisfaction within nursing education. The studycentred on private healthcare education at an identified multi-campus privatehealthcare organisation as the employer. The researcher strived to gauge, describeand possibly improve the productivity and job satisfaction of nurse educators asemployees of this organisation. It was argued that the workload of the nurse educatoris complex and multifaceted which therefore required a pluralistic research design. Arange of research methods employed from within a pragmatic worldview, as thephilosophical underpinning, gave the researcher the freedom to select a Frameworkfor an Integrated Methodology (FraIM) to address the research question(s). Datawere analysed from workload diaries, individual and group interviews and a Delphiexercise which was used to strive towards consensus. It was concluded that the worksituation of nursing educators at one multi-campus private higher educationinstitution is complex and challenging, yet stimulating. The study revealed that nurseeducators are under pressure due to increased workloads within a rapidly changingnurse education environment. The study showed a private nurse education sector inSouth Africa faced with financial challenges and although private institutions acquireskills plan levies for the training of nurses in certain specialties and as listedcompanies, they do not get any state subsidy for basic nursing education. Theseinstitutions are expected to carry the financial burden of training basic nursingstudents in a highly competitive medical care service provider business world. Themain value of the study is its contribution to the development of a practical workload model that may not only assist in addressing the needs of the host private highereducation institution but also add value to the core business needs of the holdingcompany and similar universal nurse education entities. The study contributed to animproved understanding of the various factors contributing to the complex workloadof nurse educators. An important outcome of the suggested development of an allinclusive workload model is the benefit of an effective management tool to determineperson-power requirements more accurately during planning and budgetingoperations in private nursing education.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University