Purpose
To identify the factors influencing the perception of “decent work” by nurses. Methods: Data were collected from 208 nurses who had worked in hospitals for over six months, from January 23 to February 11, 2024. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 29.0. Results: Statistically significant positive correlations were observed among “decent work,” “work volition,” “living a calling,” and “social comparison orientation.” The core factors that significantly affected the perception of “decent work” by nurses were ‘work volition” (β=.30, p<.001), shift type (β=-.28, p<.001), aged in their 40s (β=-.22, p=.003), “living a calling” (β=.18, p=.012), and “social comparison orientation” (β=.14, p=.021). These variables explained 32% of the variance in the perception of “decent work.” Conclusion: The study results confirmed that, in addition to “work volition” and “living a calling’,” “social comparison orientation” also plays a significant role in how nurses perceive “decent work.” To understand the “decent work” conditions in nursing, it is necessary to explore the relationship between these factors and the variables that reflect professionalism or social recognition.

Purpose
This study examined factors influencing patient safety nursing activities in integrated nursing care units. Methods: A survey was conducted with 134 nurses from hospitals (100~300 beds) in Busan using self-administered questionnaires (August 17–September 15, 2024). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The mean score for patient safety nursing activities was 4.31±0.55. Positive correlations were found with grit, teamwork, communication, and patient safety culture awareness. The predictor variables explained 46.0% of the variance in patient safety nursing activities. Significant factors included communication (β=.31, p=.032) and leadership (β=.29, p=.035) within teamwork, incident reporting frequency (β=.24, p<.001) within patient safety culture awareness, and experience in patient safety education (β=.17, p=.018). Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the importance of enhancing teamwork, particularly in leadership and communication, and creating a safety culture that promotes incident reporting and education to strengthen patient safety nursing practices. Improving patient safety training, developing systematic evaluation and feedback mechanisms, and establishing structured support systems through campaigns and workshops will boost staff involvement and elevate the quality of patient safety practices.

Purpose
This study examined the effects of role conflict, work environment, and meaning of work on job embeddedness among physician assistants to provide foundational data for their retention and professional development. Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted with 180 physician assistants from six tertiary hospitals in Seoul and Chungcheong Province. Data were collected from July to November 2022. Role conflict, work environment, meaning of work, and job embeddedness were measured using validated scales. Data were analyzed using SAS Enterprise Guide 7.1 with descriptive statistics, the independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. Results: Job embeddedness correlated positively with meaning of work (r=.28, p<.001) and work environment (r=.22, p=.002) and weakly with role conflict (r=.14, p=.045). Multiple regression identified meaning of work (B=0.32, p<.001), role conflict (B=0.13, p=.005), work environment (B=0.14, p=.018), and work type (B=-3.95, p=.004) as significant predictors (Adj. R²=19.8%). Meaning of work had the greatest impact. Conclusion: Enhancing job embeddedness among physician assistants requires improving the work environment, clarifying professional roles, and strengthening professional recognition and organizational support.

Purpose
This study explored the lived experiences of physician assistants (PAs) in Korea during the 2024 medical workforce shortage, focusing on how they perceived and adapted to their rapidly changing roles. The study investigated both the challenges PAs faced and the professional growth they experienced throughout the adaptation process. Methods: A phenomenological qualitative design was applied using Colaizzi’s method. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 PAs at a tertiary hospital in Seoul between September 25, 2024 and February 1, 2025. Data were analyzed thematically. Results: Four major theme clusters emerged: changes in work environment and quality of life, role conflict and ambiguity in professional identity, dual aspects of role expansion including autonomy and burnout, and coping strategies and structural policy demands. Participants reported physical and emotional strain, but also described greater involvement in care decisions, improved patient relationships, and a stronger sense of professional identity. Conclusion: Amid the medical staffing crisis, PAs adapted to their expanded responsibilities and became key healthcare providers. While facing substantial burdens, they simultaneously experienced personal and professional growth. Institutional and legal support is essential to stabilize their roles and improve long-term healthcare outcomes.

Purpose
This study aimed to explore the effects of presenteeism, burnout, and nursing performance on intention to retention among nurses of an intensive care unit in one tertiary hospital.
Method
The data were collected from from July 1 to July 31, 2023, from 172 nurses at intensive care units. Data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 26.0 program.
Results
A four-step hierarchical regression model, including control variables, presenteeism, burnout, and nursing performance, accounted for 44.9% of the factors influencing intention to retention. Burnout (β=-.54, p<.001), nursing performance (β=.21, p=.002), health problem (β=-.07, p=.040), and experience of turnover (β=-.16, p=.008) were identified as the significant predictor of intention to retention. Model III, which adds burnout, has a significant 23.5%p increase in explanatory power over Model II, indicating that burnout has the strongest impact on intention to retention.
Conclusion
For enhancing the intention to retention of the intensive care nurses, it is necessary to provide a systematic strategy and support to increase the performance of nurses and to try to reduce the burnout and health problems of nurses.

Purpose
This study aimed to identify factors influencing communication competence among hospital nurses. Methods: The participants were 136 nurses working at five general or tertiary hospitals with over 100 beds in Busan, Ulsan, and Geoje Island. Data were collected using structured self-report online questionnaires from July 18 to August 31, 2023. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the t-test, one-way analysis of variance, the Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and stepwise regression analysis using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Results: Self-awareness (β=.43, p<.001), a relationship-oriented organizational culture (β=.34, p<.001), working in a surgical ward (β=.19, p=.003), communication efficacy (β=.17, p=.011), hierarchy-oriented organizational culture (β=.16, p=.011), and working in a special unit (β=-.14, p=.023) were factors that significantly influenced nurses' communication competence. The model explained 52% of the variance in communication competence (F=28.43, p<.001) Conclusion: To improve communication competence in hospital nurses, healthcare institutions should provide learning opportunities to improve nurses’ self-awareness and communication efficacy. It is also essential to establish rules and order within a hierarchy-oriented organizational culture, while simultaneously promoting a relationship-oriented organizational culture based on trust and respect among colleagues.

Purpose
This study explored how Generation Z characteristics—specifically work–life balance, growth needs, and individualism—along with work environment, emotional labor, and interpersonal skills, affect job embeddedness among newly graduated nurses. It also examined whether job embeddedness mediates the relationship between these factors and turnover intention. Methods: A correlational descriptive study was conducted by analyzing survey data collected from 131 clinical nurses born between 1995 and 2000, who had less than three years of nursing work experience in South Korea. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was employed to identify the independent effects of Generation Z characteristics on job embeddedness, over and above the effects of work environment, emotional labor, and interpersonal skills. Path analysis using bootstrapping method was conducted to examine the mediating role of job embeddedness in turnover intention. Results: Needs for growth and work environment were significant predictors of job embeddedness among newly graduated nurses. Furthermore, the effects of needs for growth and work environment on turnover intention were significantly mediated by job embeddedness. Conclusion: Understanding the characteristics of Generation Z, particularly their needs for growth, along with the work environment, is essential for enhancing job embeddedness among newly graduated nurses. Strengthening job embeddedness can effectively reduce their turnover intention.

Purpose
This study aimed to investigate the effects of job characteristics and professional self-concept on competency in forensic nursing among operating room nurses at university hospitals. Methods: Data were collected from 164 operating room nurses employed at university hospitals. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS 23.0, using the mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Scheffé post-hoc test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. Results: Professional self-concept showed a statistically significant positive correlation with forensic nursing competency (r=.60, p<.001). The following factors significantly influenced forensic nursing competency among operating room nurses: professional self-concept (β=.69, p<.001), total career lengths of <5 years (β=.21, p=.006) and 5-9 years (β=.20, p=.011), and job characteristics (β=.19, p=.007). A three-step regression model was statistically significant (F=29.74, p<.001) and the total explanatory power of the regression model was 41.4%. Conclusion: This study identified that professional self-concept, total career years, and job characteristics as the most significant factors influencing operating room nurses' forensic nursing competency. Therefore, it will be necessary to develop educational programs to improve professional self-concept and job characteristics.

Purpose
This study aimed to identify the impact of clinical nurses’ grit and nursing work environment on job enthusiasm and provide basic data for system improvement to maintain and secure nursing personnel. Methods: Data were collected online from July to August 2022 targeting 210 clinical nurses at three general hospitals located in Jeollabuk-do. Data analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS 26.0 program. Results: Job enthusiasm exhibited statistically significant differences according to age (F=5.20, p=.006) and presence of children (F=0.95, p<.001). Furthermore, job enthusiasm showed statistically significant positive correlations with grit (r=.64, p<.001) and the nursing work environment (r=.49, p<.001). The following factors were found to affect job enthusiasm: having children (β=.26, p<.001), grit (β=.46, p<.001), nursing work environment (β=.33, p<.001), and age over 40 (β=.16, p<.001). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that an internal motivation strengthening program that promotes grit should be developed and applied to increase work enthusiasm among clinical nurses. Additionally, hospital organizations should prepare various policies to improve the nursing work environment.

Purpose
This study investigated the effect of new nurses' metacognition on their retention intention and the dual mediating effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment in the relationship between those two variables. Methods: Participants included 154 new nurses with 12 months or less of clinical experience working in general hospitals in Seoul. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from September 30 to October 29, 2024 and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 29.0 and the Process Macro 4.2 program. Results: Metacognition had a positive effect on job satisfaction (B=0.60, p<.001). Job satisfaction had significant positive effects on organizational commitment (B=0.84, p<.001) and retention intention (B=1.31, p<.001), while organizational commitment had a significant positive effect on retention intention (B=0.65, p=.016). The sequential mediating effect of job satisfaction and organizational commitment was confirmed within the relationship between metacognition and retention intention in new nurses (effect=0.33, 95% confidence interval: 0.03-0.71). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest the presence of a causal structure in which higher metacognition is associated with greater job satisfaction in new nurses; this leads them to commit to the organization, eventually increasing their retention intention.

Purpose
The study was to develop a Clinical Nurses' Job Crafting Scale (CN-JCS) and examines its validity and reliability. Methods: Data were collected from 423 clinical nurses working in general hospitals. The CN-JCS was developed according to DeVellis’s step sclae development guidelines. The CN-JCS was assessed for content validity, construct validity, item convergence/discrimination, convergent validity, and internal consistency. Results: In the exploratory factor analysis, five factors and 20 items were selected. Construct validity was examined using confirmatory factor analysis, and the model fit was good. The Conceptual reliability was greater than .70 and average variance extracted value was greater than .50, indicating discriminant validity. Convergent validity was confirmed through correlations between the CN-JCS, psychological empowerment and work engagement. The scale’s reliability was established with a Cronbach's alpha of .90. The CN-JCS employs a 5-point Likert scale across 20 questions, gauging aspects such as giving meaning to work, changing the structure of work, exploring and communicating, pursuing relationship change, and positive attitude toward change. Conclusion: The CN-JCS can be used to accurately assess the job craft of clinical nurses, and the measured level can be used as baseline data to improve awareness and education of nurses’ job craft.