Solidarity in a community of nursing colleagues

Abstract

Introduction Several concepts have been used to describe the qualities of communities of nursing colleagues. Nonetheless, few studies have shed light on nursing communities by drawing on the concept of solidarity.

Objective To explore solidarity among a community of nursing colleagues.

Methods A qualitative research design with a reflective life world approach was selected. This study reused data from a larger Norwegian empirical study. The data from the original study consisted of qualitative interviews and follow-up interviews with 13 nurses (RNs). The research context was municipality and specialist health services. A secondary data analysis was conducted. The study was based on the SRQR reporting guidelines.

Results The results were formulated under two themes: 1) having indispensable relationships and 2) encountering a relative absence of sympathy.

Conclusion A sense of community among nursing colleagues seems to rely on solidarity: whatever affects one nurse affects another. The solidarity that arose from the content of commonalities involved maintaining indispensable relationships with nursing colleagues by supporting and aiding them and simultaneously enduring a relative absence of sympathy. Solidarity among the community in this study was not a peripheral concept of the general notion of solidarity, implying that the commonalities within the collegial relationships were ambiguous and could shift from something good to something relatively good and vice versa. Such a shift was evidenced by nurses’ experiences of their community.