Thriving in Medical Practice

<p>In the mid-2000s the construct of workplace engagement had been visible in the literature for</p><p>over a decade with no consensus on its measurement. The benefits of increasing engagement</p><p>were consistently reported however measures were developed and used across different</p><p>contexts with potential underlying differences due to context remaining unaddressed. The</p><p>first aim of this thesis was to investigate existing engagement measures and their comparative</p><p>relevance across two contexts: business and medical. The medical context was chosen for</p><p>detailed investigation because of the importance of engagement-related factors such as</p><p>burnout in medical professions and because of the lack of empirical research on engagement</p><p>in this context. The second aim of the thesis was to develop an engagement measure</p><p>specifically for use in medical settings. The third aim of the thesis was to explore the</p><p>relationships between engagement and related constructs of interest in the literature.</p><p>In the first Pilot Study 1 items said to measure engagement were identified. In Study</p><p>2 the measures were tested for their perceived relevance to engagement with 217 business</p><p>and 192 medical respondents. Results demonstrate engagement may be differentially viewed</p><p>and defined in these contexts. In Study 3 data were drawn from public hospitals across New</p><p>South Wales Australia from 392 nurses and 154 doctors. The first known measure for</p><p>engagement in medical contexts was developed a higher order construct including job</p><p>satisfaction dedication and focused time use consistent with a consensus on engagement</p><p>occurring later in the literature. A path model was developed assessing related constructs not</p><p>found in other engagement models climate empowerment intrinsic motivation and</p><p>emotional exhaustion. The model consolidates findings and provides further evidence of</p><p>differences in the way engagement operates in business and medical contexts. Engagement in</p><p>medical contexts is an important aspect of current research due to a global healthcare crisis.</p>