Purpose
This study aimed to clarify and analyze the concept of a career plateau among clinical nurses.
Methods
Using Walker and Avant’s concept analysis framework, 20 articles on the career plateau of clinical nurses were selected for this study.
Results
The attributes of the clinical nurses’ structural career plateau were “unmet need for vertical movement” and “accepting of promotion restrictions”. The attributes of the clinical nurses’ content career plateau were “job repetition”, “involuntary job fixation”, “work lethargy”, “low expectations for nursing professional development,” and “indifference to care recipients”. The antecedent factors for the nurses’ career plateau were “lack of organizational support”, “lack of respect from the organization, bosses, and colleagues”, “personal problems arising or remaining unresolved”, “limited autonomy”, and “absence of role models”. As a consequence of the career plateau, job satisfaction, nursing competency, and nursing quality decreased, while burnout and turnover intention increased.
Conclusion
This study is significant in that it clarified the concept and attributes of the clinical nurses’ career plateau by reflecting the characteristics and purpose of nursing.

Citations

• Experiences With a Substitution System for Clinical Nurses' Leave of Absence: A Qualitative Study
  Ae R. Kim, Jeong H. Hong, Seieun Oh, Sangwoon Cho, Hye J. Baek
  Research in Nursing & Health.2025; 48(1): 63.     CrossRef

PURPOSE
This study was conducted to examine the adaptation experience of male nurses working in general wards.
METHODS
Experiential data was collected from 16 general ward nurses through in-depth interviews. Participants were selected from male nurses working in the general wards with over one year of clinical experience at a tertiary university hospital. The main question was “Can you describe your adaptation experience in the general ward as a nurse?” All interviews were recorded and transcribed, then analyzed using Colaizzi's method.
RESULTS
Four categories were derived from the analysis: ‘difficulties from task adaptation by characteristics’, ‘limited nursing situation and circumstance as a male nurse’, ‘efforts to adapt at general nursing unit’, and ‘self-worth, and worry about something as a male nurse’.
CONCLUSION
Male nurses had a difficulty adapting to work in wards due to lack of multi-tasking skills, as well as some social prejudice or negative views on male nurses. Establishing reasonable guidelines for male nurses in practice, promoting their responsibilities to patients, developing mentoring programs, and reassessing the policy of assigning male nurses to general wards are recommended to help in better adaptation.

Citations

• Male nurses’ adaptation experiences after turnover to community institutions in Korea: A grounded theory methodology
  Ja-Sook Kim, Suhyun Kim, Hyang-In Cho Chung, Sally Mohammed Farghaly
  PLOS ONE.2024; 19(5): e0302819.     CrossRef
• Factors Influencing Professional Quality of Life in Intensive Care Unit Nurses of University Hospitals
  Yu Lim Lee, Yun Mi Lee, So Eun Jang
  Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing.2023; 16(1): 44.     CrossRef
• The Influence of Role Conflict, Head Nurses' Super Leadership, and Nursing Organizational Culture on Organizational Commitment of Male Nurses
  Mingi Chang, Yujeong Kim
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2022; 28(5): 558.     CrossRef
• Clinical Work and Life of Mid-Career Male Nurses: A Qualitative Study
  Soo-Yong Shin, Eun-Ju Lim
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2021; 18(12): 6224.     CrossRef
• Factors Influencing Turnover Intention among Male Nurses in Korea
  Su Ol Kim, Sun-Hee Moon
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2021; 18(18): 9862.     CrossRef
• Perception of Clinical Nurse Providing Intimate Care to Patients: Q Methodological Approach
  Minyoung KIM, Euna PARK
  JOURNAL OF FISHRIES AND MARINE SCIENCES EDUCATION.2019; 31(6): 1683.     CrossRef
• Adjusting Process of Nurses to an Oriental Medical Unit
  Mee-Hun Lee, Hyoung-Sook Park, Jae-Hyun Ha
  Korean Journal of Adult Nursing.2017; 29(6): 615.     CrossRef