This study was aimed at (a) describing professional nursing practice environments embedded in nursing care units and (b) examining its relationships to nurses' task motivation.

Using the Nursing Work Index Revised (NWI-R) and the Work Preference Inventory (WPI), a descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 320 registered nurses on 26 nursing care units in one University hospital in Korea.

Mean scores were 12.9 on a 5-20 score range of an autonomous environment scale, 7.3 on a 3-12 score range of a collaborative environment, and 15.8 on a 7-28 score range of control over nursing practice. Nurses' age, educational level, job position, working period at the hospital and employment status were significantly related to the degree of a professional practice environment. The extent to which a professional practice environment accounted for task motivation was 19.5%.

There is a certain degree of professionalism in the workplace environment that nurses perceived within the nursing care units. When nurses care for patients, the degree of task motivation depends on the work environment supporting the professional nursing practice.

The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to assess the transition shock experienced by newly graduated nurses, and test the validity and reliability of the scale.

The initial items were identified through a review of literature and in-depth interviews with nine newly graduated nurses. Content validation of the items was evaluated by five nurse professors and three nurses. Participants were 269 newly graduated nurses who worked at six acute care hospitals in Busan, Ulsan, and Yangsan, South Korea. Data were analyzed using item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, criterion related validity, and internal consistency.

The final scale consisted of 18 items and six factors (conflict between theory and practice, overwhelming workload, loss of social support, shrinking relationship with co-workers, confusion in professional nursing values, and incongruity in work and personal life), which explained 71.3% of the total variance. The six subscale model was validated by confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha for the total items was. 89. Convergent validity was evaluated by analyzing total correlation with burnout (r=.71, p<.001) and turnover intention (t=5.84, p<.001).

This scale can be used in the development of nursing interventions to reduce the transition shock experienced by newly graduated nurses.

To develop and test the validity and reliability of the Korean version of PES-NWI measuring nursing work environments in hospitals.

The Korean version of the PES-NWI was developed through forward-backward translation techniques, and revision based on feedback from focus groups. An internal consistency reliability and construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis were conducted using SPSS WIN (16.0) and AMOS (18.0). Survey data were collected from 733 nurses who worked in three acute care hospitals in Seoul, South Korea.

The Korean version of PES-NWI showed reliable internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha for the total scale of .93. Factor loadings of the 29 items on the five subscales ranged from .28 to .85. The five subscales model was validated by confirmatory factor analysis (RMR<.05, CFI>.9).

The findings of this study demonstrate that the Korean version of PES-NWI has satisfactory construct validity and reliability to measure nursing work environments of hospitals in Korea.

The study was done to investigate physical assessment skills used by, and educational needs of, advanced practice nurses (APNs) and nurse specialists in Korea.

A total of 123 APNs and nurse specialists working in five major hospitals in Seoul were surveyed from July 15 to August 20, 2007.

Fourteen skills out of 126 items were reported as being performed on a regular basis by participants. The majority of these skills involved general observation. Forty-six skills were rarely used. Some participants showed a lack of confidence in certain assessment skills, such as in doing a rectal or pelvic exam, and the use of some assessment equipment. Over 90% of participants required in-depth education on health assessment provided by specialists or nursing professional organizations.

More educational opportunities in physical assessment should be provided including education programs based on the nurses' skill levels and needs. This effort will help to increase confidence of APNs and nurse specialists in physical assessment skills, ultimately resulting in better nursing outcomes.