Professional perception and effort-reward balance in the context of the global epidemic: A mixed research

This study was conducted to evaluate the professional perception and perception of effort-reward balance of nurses working in the global pandemic. It was conducted with a mixed method research design in which qualitative and quantitative research methods were used together. The study was conducted in Dicle University Hospitals between June 2022 and April 2023. The quantitative phase of the study was conducted with 612 nurses and the qualitative phase was conducted with 18 nurses. The data of the study were collected with the Nursing Profession Image Scale (NPIS), Effort Reward Imbalance (ERI) Scale and Semi-structured Interview Guide. SPSS 26 statistical program was used to analyze the quantitative data and Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the qualitative data. According to the results of the quantitative research; it was determined that nurses had a medium level of professional image perception and that nurses thought that the amount of effort was not rewarded sufficiently. According to the results of the qualitative research; as a result of the analysis of the content of the interviews with the nurses; three superordinate themes were identified in the study, with "Unrewarded Effort" being the main theme. These themes are; 1) Conflicting Perceptions of the Profession, 2) Contradictions about the Value of the Profession, 3) It was determined as the Clarification of Contradictions Regarding the Value of the Profession in the Pandemic. According to our study findings, the nursing profession is a deep and multifaceted profession, and the educational system and administrative problems may cause difficulties in determining professional identities and roles by increasing contradictions. Changes in professional value with the influence of society, health workers and management may lead to changes in perceptions of professional value. With the pandemic, the perceived contradictions regarding the value of the profession have deepened significantly. While nurses performed their professional roles with devotion and emotional intensity during this period, they made extra effort in physiological and psychological terms. However, it was determined that they did not receive material and moral rewards for their efforts.