Sandra V. Dunn

Factors influencing job valuation: a comparative study of critical care and non-critical care nurses.

This study sought to identify the relationship between three predictor variables, perceived collaboration with medical staff, autonomy and independent actions and an outcome, the value hospital nurses placed on their work. In total 189 critical care and 366 non-critical care nurses completed a mailed survey. Critical care nurses perceived themselves to have a more collaborative relationship with the medical staff, described performing actions independent of medical orders more frequently and perceived their jobs to have more value than non-critical care nurses. However the latter group perceived themselves to have more autonomy in their work. Within both groups collaboration and autonomy were significantly, but weak to moderately correlated with job valuation. Simply expanding the work hospital nurses do is unlikely to result in nurses valuing their jobs more, however promoting an environment of respect and sharing between the medical and nursing staff and supporting nurses when they act in an autonomous fashion may positively influence nurses perceptions of their work.

Aerobic exercise and the post myocardial infarction patient: a review of the literature

Meta analyses of randomized controlled tests of cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial infarction demonstrate that regular exercise reduces the risk of overall mortality and cardiovascular mortality. In patients with established coronary artery disease, exercise is associated with improved activity tolerance, modification of risk factors, and improvement in quality of life. Randomized controlled tests demonstrate that whereas older patients after coronary events are substantially less fit than younger patients, they obtain a similar relative improvement of aerobic capacity with a graded conditioning program. However, older adults are enrolled in such programs at a lower rate than other age groups. Despite similar clinical profiles to men, women are less likely to participate in exercise rehabilitation. In this article we discuss the principles of program development, guidelines for monitoring of patients, and facilitation of exercise programs in the Australian context.