An Evaluation of the Compatibility of Specialist Nurses' Units and Their Areas of Expertise

Abstract

Aim: This study was carried out to evaluate whether specialist nurses work in units that match their areas of expertise. Method: This is a descriptive study. The data were collected from 83 specialist nurses working at university hospital in November and December 2019. A nine-item questionnaire was used to assess demographic characteristics of the nurses, their specializations, workplaces, and the compatibility of their areas of expertise. Results: It was determined that the largest group of specialist nurses (24.1%) were in the field of surgery, and the fewest were specialists in nursing education (2.4%) and public health (2.4%). The specialists in nursing principles, surgery, internal medicine, and nursing management predominantly had managerial roles. Most of the specialists in women's health nursing were worked in bedside units, and most of the pediatric health specialists were in special units. Of the specialist nurses, 65.1% thought they were working in units that suited their expertise, but most of those who did not think so (68.97%) had not submitted requests to work in more suitable positions. Conclusion: Most of the specialist nurses were employed in appropriate positions that suited their areas of expertise.