Congratulations to Dana Rutledge, PhD, RN, Mary Wickman, PhD, RN and Beth
Winokur, PhD, RN, CEN for their newly published article on measuring hospital nurse perceptions of meaning and joy in work at St. Joseph Hospital. SJO employees have access to the
full article through Burlew Medical Library. Contact library staff for more
details.
Instrument Validation: Hospital Nurse Perceptions of Meaning
and Joy in Work
Rutledge, Dana N., PhD, RN, Wickman, Mary, PhD, RN, Winokur, Elizabeth J., PhD, RN
Journal of Nursing Measurement
2018; 26(3)
Abstract
Background and Purpose: When workers experience meaning and
joy in work (MJW), job satisfaction and retention are enhanced. No measure for
MJW among nurses exists. The purpose of this work was to develop/test the MJW
Questionnaire (MJWQ). Methods: The initial MJWQ was piloted with a convenience
sample of post-licensure nursing students. Factor analyses established MJWQ
subscales for the MJWQ: “value /connections,” “meaningful work,” “caring.”
Subsequently, 463 employed nurses validated MJWQ psychometrics. Results: The
MJWQ demonstrated acceptable construct validity and internal consistency (α =
.94). Scores were significantly associated with job satisfaction (r = .686).
Conclusions: Initial testing supports adequate measurement of MJW for hospital
nurses in varying roles. Testing in other settings, evaluation of sensitivity
in determining intervention effectiveness, and inclusion in multivariate
analyses of workforce engagement are suggested.
