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Full-time work for nurses: employers’ perspectives
Article first published online: 9 JUN 2012
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2012.01391.x
© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Issue
Journal of Nursing Management
Special Issue: This issue: Patient safety management in the health services Issue editor: Elisabeth Severinsson
Volume 21, Issue 2, pages 359–367, March 2013
Additional Information
How to Cite
BAUMANN, A., HUNSBERGER, M. and CREA-ARSENIO, M. (2013), Full-time work for nurses: employers’ perspectives. Journal of Nursing Management, 21: 359–367. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2012.01391.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 11 MAR 2013
- Article first published online: 9 JUN 2012
- Accepted for publication: 3 January 2012
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- employment policy;
- flexible staffing;
- full-time employment;
- stable nursing workforce;
- workforce integration
Aim To examine an employer response to a government employment policy, the Nursing Graduate Guarantee (NGG), over a 2-year period (2008–2009 and 2009–2010).
Background Healthcare organizations rely on a stable supply of nurses to meet their staffing needs. However, employment trends have indicated a propensity for part-time employment. The NGG was created to stimulate full-time employment of new graduate nurses in Ontario, Canada.
Methods A mixed methods design was used, which included online surveys and focus groups. All healthcare providers (n = 1198) were surveyed in 2008–2009 and 2009–2010. Each year, a sample of NGG employers participated in sector-specific focus groups.
Results Approximately 20% of potential healthcare employers participated in the NGG. Reasons for non-participation included lack of awareness of the initiative and lack of full-time jobs. Barriers to offering full-time employment to new graduates included lack of full-time vacancies and budget constraints.
Conclusions Employers perceive flexible staffing practices as a way to contain personnel costs but often at the expense of a stable full-time nursing workforce.
Implications for Nursing Management This research contributes to an understanding of employers’ perspectives on full-time hiring and participation in a government employment policy.