General nurses' and nursing technicians' complexity of activities: Cross-sectional study

Aims: This study aimed at describing the job content of general nurses and comparing it to the work of nursing technicians, arranging it for orientation and level of work with things, data or people. Background: There is limited evidence on the content of the general nurses' and nursing technicians' job in post-transitional countries. Method: A quantitative analysis was conducted. The study was performed in a Slovenian medical hospital and in primary health centre. The variables were collected observing nursing activities at 10-min intervals. Results: Forty-three hospital and seven primary health centres' nursing staff participated in this study. A total of 14,584 nursing activities were recorded. The focus of general nurses was on working with data, and the focus of nursing technicians was on working with people (t = 18.328; df = 34,041; p < .001). Conclusions: General nurses' and health care technicians' duties differ in content. General nurses work mostly with data, but health care technicians with people. The job content of both profiles differs related to the setting. Implications for nursing management: It is recommended to return the focus of registered nurses from data to people. There is a need to do job analysis to enhance current practices in nursing management and professional development initiatives.