Respect as Experienced by Registered Nurses

The aims of this study were to ascertain how registered nurses convey and experience respect in their day-to-day work environment with other registered nurses. Nurses generally feel respected when they are acknowledged for a job well done and for what they as individuals bring to the situation, including knowledge, skills, and experience. Findings revealed that communication was a key factor in conveying and experiencing respect, including what is communicated, how it is communicated, and what is not communicated. Experiencing respect was linked to collaboration, acknowledgment, autonomy, support, and fairness. Important findings in this study were barriers to conveying respect. Barriers were described as lack of time, lack of understanding of roles, inability to develop collegial relationships, not being shown respect, and lack of self-awareness.