Nursing--Standards

The purpose of the research was to explore the social process of trust between the
chief nursing officer and the nurse manager in the hospital setting. The researcher used
the grounded theory method to analyze the nurse manager-chief nursing officer
relationship from the perspective of the nurse manager.
A total of 12 participants were interviewed by the researcher. The sample
consisted of nurse managers employed in hospitals in the southeastern United States.
Data analysis consisted of open coding and constant comparative analysis. Resulting
categories consisted of preparing to trust, co-creating trust and co-creating the trusting
environment. The basic social process of the nurse manager-chief nursing officer trusting
relationship in healthcare was the substantive theory of Striving to Live the Golden Rule
which refers to living the nurse manager-chief nursing officer ethical relationship in a nursing environment where trust may be difficult to establish. The formal theory
generated was the essential link between Striving to Live the Golden Rule to Living the
Golden Rule as Unveiling the Mystery of Covenantal Trust. The overall results of this
research demonstrated the process of trust between the nurse manager and chief nursing
officer as essential to the overall relationship and to the success of both.

The purpose of this study was to explore, through a descriptive method, views of registered nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel about their roles. Data sources included interviews with three registered nurses and three unlicensed assistive workers practicing in partnership on an acute patient care unit. Study findings supported role theory assertions that role strain and stress, manifested as role ambiguity, role confusion, role overlapping, and role overload occur when the role transition process and role expectations are not clarified or nurtured among role partners. Implications for nursing practice include the following: (1) Nurses in clinical and administrative practice need to be sensitized to the importance of nurses and ancillary personnel being active participants in the work redesign process, and must support the value of caring that transpires in the nurse-patient relationship. (2) Role theory can be utilized to understand dynamics that occur in work settings of nurses and assistive partners.