Rural acute care nursing in British Columbia and Alberta: An interpretive description of professionalism.

Delivery of health care services in rural areas of Canada is challenging due to geographic and economic factors, and persistent problems with recruiting and retaining nurses. Registered Nurses in acute care represent the largest cohort of health care workers in rural Canada, and little is known about their professional experiences. The purpose of this study was to understand how rural acute care nurses in British Columbia and Alberta experience professionalism and professional practice. Eight interview transcripts from a national study entitled, The Nature of Nursing Practice in Rural and Remote Canada were analyzed using an interpretive description method. Analysis and interpretation revealed that rural nurses experience professionalism in the community and workplace contexts. Being visible and embracing reality emerged as central themes in rural nurses' experiences of professionalism. Findings from this study contribute a greater understanding of professionalism in rural nursing, and its relationship to job satisfaction, recruitment, and retention.