In spite of professional socialization through nursing education programs, new graduates experience stress as they become working professionals. This grounded theory study explores experienced nurses' perceptions of how they became professional. The central problem for nurses was dissonance between expectations and experiences; they addressed this through an iterative, three-stage process of reworking professional identity. The stages of this process are assuming adequacy, realizing practice, and developing a reputation. Iterations of this process occur as new discrepancies are noticed, enhanced awareness dawns, practice changes, learning is undertaken, or experienced nurses become relative novices in another work area. Nurses move through stages more quickly and at different levels with each iteration. Three contextual factors influence the process: expectation; perception of the status accorded by others to nursing; and supportiveness by acceptance, assistance, and advocacy from others in the workplace. These findings expand knowledge about professional socialization and how nurses themselves understand developing professional identity.

We suggest a proactive approach for empowering OR nurses to address abuse and an increased focus on interdisciplinary roles.

Employed people spend most of their waking hours in workplaces, but sometimes workplaces are made unbearable by bullying. This study examined how 21 people experienced workplace bullying in a rural and small city context and explored strategies for stopping workplace abuse. The research method of the learning circle was used because of its potential to reduce the isolation typically experienced by targets of workplace bullying, and its potential for peer dialogue and learning. This paper focuses on signs and experiences of workplace bullying, a phenomenon which produces both physical and emotional symptoms and often requires counseling.

Historically, we have assumed that workplaces, where employed individuals spend approximately one third of their days, provide safe and supportive environments and opportunities to enhance women's capacities. Unfortunately, workplace bullying and consequent sickness absence are prevalent and costly realities that significantly influence women's health. In this study, sickness absence among 18 Canadian women who were targets of workplace bullying was explored using a grounded theory secondary analysis. Findings show that although sickness absence is critical in attenuating the health consequences of being bullied, it is a partial solution because rehabilitation and successful return to work is challenged when working conditions remain unchanged. This problem is addressed using is a three-stage process of discerning a path that involves gaining space, making sense, and moving forward. Organizational support is critical to all stages of the process; it can reduce the risk of declines in health and sickness absence, and is essential for successful return to work.

Our purpose in this grounded theory study was to explore the impact of workplace bullying (WPB) on women working in health care. We analyzed interviews with 21 women, professionals and nonprofessionals. The women experienced a change in their meaning of work (MOW) when they had experienced WPB, and they addressed this change through a process we called the shifting meaning of work. This process has three stages. The first, developing insight, involves recognizing causes of changed MOW as external. In the second stage, resisting, women defend against changed MOW by sustaining acceptable MOW and work performances, and by confronting causes. In the final stage, rebuilding, women try to adapt and modify approaches to work by coming to terms, adjusting work attitudes, and investing in self. We identified implications of this process for managing health and work issues with women, health care providers, and employers.

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This paper describes an educator's experience using focus groups with post-RN nursing students in a course offered by audio teleconferencing. The purposes of implementing focus groups included: to increase involvement of students located in the distance education settings, to implement principles of adult learning, to increase opportunities for drawing on the experience of the students, and to improve the quality of learning experience offered by distance education. An example is given to demonstrate how the process was used to integrate the focus group experience into the distance education classroom.

Work is central to well-being but working is problematic when people experience workplace bullying, which includes psychological, physical, and sexual abuse or harassment. The purpose of the present grounded theory study was to extend current understanding, from the perspective of women, of how workplace bullying affects their work and how they engage in the workforce. The study was conducted in eastern Canada with 36 English-speaking women who had been bullied in the workplace. They reported mainly psychological bullying. The central problem for women is they cannot continue working as they had before the workplace bullying. The authors named a four-stage process of how women address this problem as "Doing Work Differently." The four stages are Being Conciliatory, Reconsidering, Reducing Interference, and Redeveloping Balance. The process is influenced by women's support systems, the effects on their health, and financial circumstances. There are implications for public education, workplace policies, and health care workers.