Abstract
This chapter presents an explorative study of resilience and thriving among 20 health care professionals employed in a public sector hospital in South Africa. The convenience sample consisted of 12 registered nurses and eight physicians. A phenomenological, qualitative design was used. Semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted with the participants to explore their experience of resilience and thriving in the workplace. Information was analysed using thematic content analysis. The majority of the participants reported high levels of satisfaction and engagement despite challenging work conditions. The emerging themes reflect a range of dispositional, relational, situational, and philosophical factors that contribute to their satisfaction and work engagement. The role of personal values, such as compassion for patients, nurturance, and a sense of justice, plays a role in the value-driven engagement of doctors and nurses, while positive feedback from patients and collegial relationships serves a protective role. Coping strategies used by participants include restorative leisure activities, self-care, and work-family balance. Very few differences were noted between the themes reported by doctors and nurses, respectively. Intellectual stimulation and opportunities for professional development seemed to play a stronger motivating role for the doctors, while nurses emphasized the role of positive relationships with patients. The study concludes that knowledge of factors that contribute to positive affective-motivational states and effective strategies to promote well-being are essential to sustaining high quality health service delivery.
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van den Berg, H.S. (2013). Resilience and Thriving Among Health Professionals. In: Wissing, M. (eds) Well-Being Research in South Africa. Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6368-5_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6368-5_8
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