Supervisor-nurse relationships, training, empowerment and patient role ambiguity for nurses: Australia and England

Abstract

This paper uses a Leader-Member Exchange theoretical framework to first, examine the impact of the supervisor-subordinate relationship upon nurses’ satisfaction with training and perceptions of empowerment (as measured by self-determination, impact, competence and meaning), and then upon their role ambiguity in relation to patients. Second, we compared nurses’ experiences in Australia and in England. Using surveys, data were collected during 2008 and 2010 from 1335 hospital nurses (900 in Australia and 435 in England). Using path analysis, the findings identify that satisfaction with supervisor-nurse relationships and training, plus perceptions of empowerment, explain approximately a fifth of nurses’ patient role ambiguity.