Self-tuning for job engagement: Ugandan nurses' self-care strategies in coping with work stress

Abstract

This qualitative study explored self-care among 15 Ugandan nurses with reputations for thriving despite having difficult working conditions. The analysis revealed that in the face of potential threats to the nurses' job engagement, they engaged in ‘self-tuning’, a salutogenic process involving introspection, sensibility and reflection leading to coping in one or several of these ways: sharing of experiences, trusting in God's providence, engaging in other enjoyable activities, letting go, adapting based on experiences, guarding against workplace hazards, preserving quiet time or clearly separating work from personal life. This study supports previous research that self-tuning is a learnable skill, critical in helping nurses cope with work-related adversity; this should be emphasized both during nursing training and on the job.

Keywords:

• nurses
• nursing adversity
• self-care
• self-tuning
• job engagement
• salutogenesis
• Uganda

Acknowledgements

This study was made possible with financial support from the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund (Lånekassen). We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the nurses who kindly agreed to participate in the study and to Enid Ashaba Mugarura for her invaluable help during the data collection phase.