Nurse Educators’ Perceptions of Caring Attributes in Current and Ideal Work Environments

AIM The study explored nurse educators’ perceptions of the frequency (experience) of caring attributes in their current work environments and the attributes’ importance (expectation) in an ideal work environment. BACKGROUND Caring has been linked to only a few components of nurse educators’ work satisfaction. However, its influence may be much greater. METHOD A multisite convenience sample (N = 241) completed an adapted version of the Nyberg Caring Assessment Scale©. Paired t‐tests, correlations, and content analysis were used to explore experience‐expectation gaps RESULTS Significant and substantive (p < .01, r > .50) experience‐expectation gaps and correlations (p < .05) between demographic and work environment characteristics and caring attributes were found. Sources of and opportunities for caring attributes were identified. CONCLUSION The findings suggest that feeling valued contributes to nurse educators’ perceptions of a positive work environment and may inform recruitment and retention strategies. A model is proposed.