WORKLOAD, REST, AND WELL-BEING AMONG NURSE EDUCATORS: CORRELATIONAL EVIDENCE FOR AN EFFORT–RECOVERY PATHWAY AND IMPLICATIONS FOR A HOLISTIC FACULTY REJUVENATION PROGRAM
Keywords:
effort–recovery model, rest, workload, well-being, nurse educators, faculty development, PhilippinesAbstract
Institutions usually respond to faculty strain in one of two ways: by reducing workload or by offering wellness activities. Recovery theory proposes a third target. Rest is the process through which work demands either do or do not erode well-being. This proposition has not been examined among nurse educators using a multidimensional measure of rest. To determine the relationships among workload, rest, and well-being, and between perceived challenges and each of these variables, among nurse educators in private colleges of nursing; and to derive implications for institutional intervention. A cross-sectional descriptive-correlational survey was conducted among 356 nurse educators in 36 private higher education institutions in Region IV-A, Philippines. Composite scores for workload (24 items), rest (23 items), and well-being (24 items), together with a 21-item challenges scale, were analyzed with weighted means and Pearson correlation. Rest was strongly and positively correlated with well-being (r = .684, p < .001). Workload was negatively correlated with rest (r = −.373) and with well-being (r = −.263), both p < .001. Perceived challenges were correlated with workload (r = .583, p < .001) but not with well-being (r = .090, p = .091) or rest (r = −.006, p = .906). A supplementary calculation from the reported coefficients, which requires verification with raw data, indicated that the workload–well-being association almost disappears once rest is held constant. Rest was the strongest correlate of nurse educators' well-being, and the pattern of correlations is consistent with rest linking workload to well-being. Formal mediation testing is required. The findings support institutional policies that protect rest, as proposed in the Holistic Faculty Rejuvenation Program.
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