Exploratory Study of Strength in Service and SelfEfficacy among Nursing Officers

Abstract

Nursing officers (Nurses) are literally the backbone of the healthcare system as they help the patient and the healthcare system as a whole run smooth. They will have character strength and self-efficacy (belief in their ability to succeed and achieve) and, most importantly, both of these psychological traits will strongly shape their work performance and adaptability. The following study analyses these characteristics in the health care environment between government and private sector nurses, and provides comparative insight into their symptoms and outcomes. There were 208 nurses who included equal number of nurses working in government and private hospitals. Results found clear differences in character strengths between both groups. Nurses in government sector exhibited weaker character strengths of perseverance, fairness, leadership, spirituality etc. These characteristics stem from the way they adapted to environments with competing resources in which community and adaptability are key to survival. On the contrary, private-sector nurses were more self-efficacious, social intelligent and brave possibly due to the target-setting organizational cultures that reward personal success and proactivity. These differences highlight the unique demands and pressures in different healthcare sectors. This finding signifies that self-efficacy in their professional abilities was distributed equally among the nurses working in government and private sectors. Government nurses must frequently respond to confronting systemic issues and resource limitations, demanding resilience and collective problem-solving.