being, becoming, and belonging: a constructivist grounded theory study describing the process of social norm formation of nurses working in groups
abstract
covid-19 exacerbated the worldwide shortage of nurses. the registered nurses
association of ontario reported that the number of vacancies among registered nurses in the
province has more than quadrupled since the beginning of 2016 and has more than doubled since
the start of the pandemic. reasons identified by researchers contributing to nurses leaving the
profession have included lack of support from peers and management, little input from nurses
into their practices, increasingly heavy patient loads, and increasing patient acuity. the purpose
of this constructivist grounded theory study was to develop a theory to explain the process of
social norm formation of nurses working in groups and to identify the factors limiting or
facilitating their development. group social norms, or rules, contribute to the environment in
which nurses practice. [...]