Professional Experience Placement

This paper by (Lee 2015) discusses factors that contribute to why employees work. This author reviews work by other authors who report that meaning in work is an intrinsic motivator. Extrinsic motivation such as incentives are limited for developing meaning in work. In healthcare meaning in work is seen as increasing employee commitment and engagement. Lee (2015) reports that safety and organisational culture impacts on this concept. Previous studies have focused on nursing environments rather than individual motivation. The author stated there is ambiguity in the concept as it has not been defined. The concept stems from meaning in life (Frankl 1968) where individuals can actively react to or create their environments.

Lee (2015) examined the basic elements in meaning in work through database searching for all meanings. In the paper the author provides a summary. Four attributes are determined through this concept analysis. These are: experienced positive emotion at work; meaning from work itself; meaningful purpose and goals of work; work as a part of life towards meaningful existence. Lee briefly discusses these attributes. Meaning in work gives employees a reason to work or be in the workplace which can produce self-initiated energy. Lee (2015) suggested this may contribute to nurses being proactive and confident in their role. This may also contribute to professional identity development. These finding have implications for healthcare administrators to enable their staff to find meaning in work as it can contribute to job satisfaction which is important for retention and workforce development. Additionally, job satisfaction can prevent burn-out, enable better engagement, improve quality of care and patient safety.

The implications of this paper for clinical supervisors is enabling students to find meaning in work. It is important for students to understand why they chose nursing and unpick their conceptions surrounding nursing. Professional experience or clinical practice provides opportunities and challenges for student perceptions about their role in healthcare provision. Guiding and supporting their discovery or enhancing their understanding of meaning in work can assist them in guiding their own professional development and life long learning. Additionally, finding meaning in work can enable them to be more confident, engaged and committed at graduation.

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