[Generations of Italian nurses compared: an exploratory study].

Abstract

AIM: The influence that generations have on complex nursing work environment have not been investigated yet in Italy. The majority of studies realized on this topic up to now has a small sample size and is monocentric. None Italian study has directly investigated nursing multigenerational workforce. The study aimed to investigate the existence of generational differences in Italian nurses professional within the italian context and describe their characteristics. METHODS: A 33 items questionnaire devised for the purpose was administred to a sample of 317 nurses of two major Italian North-East hospital. Five dimensions were analyzed: professional space, professional role, professional culture, orientation to care, relationships among generations. RESULTS: Data showed statistically significant differences among nurses generations in 9 items. The dimensions with the greatest number of significant items were found to be relationship among generations (6 items), followed by orientation to care, professional space and professional role (1 item each). CONCLUSIONS: Results highlighted the existence of generational differences and give some information on perceptions and relationships between italian nurses generations. Being the first exploratory study on Italian nurses, it is currently impossible to compare these results with those of previous studies. Further investigation is needed to make more comparisons with international literature.

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