The nursing incivility scale: development and validation of an occupation-specific measure.

This article describes the development of the Nursing Incivility Scale (NIS), which is designed to assess hospital nurses' experiences with incivility according to specific sources-physicians, coworkers, patients, and direct supervisors. The NIS was developed using focus groups with nurses at a hospital in the midwestern United States and validated during a second survey administered to 163 hospital nurses. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the NIS items grouped according to a priori scale construction.

Euthanasia-related strain and coping strategies in animal shelter employees.

Objective: To identify and evaluate coping strategies advocated by experienced animal shelter workers who directly engaged in euthanizing animals.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Sample Population: Animal shelters across the United States in which euthanasia was conducted (5 to 100 employees/shelter).

What shelters can do about euthanasia-related stress: an examination of recommendations from those on the front line.

Shelter employees with euthanasia responsibilities are an at-risk population for a variety of psychological and emotional ailments. This study surveyed 305 employees from 62 shelters throughout the United States to gather first-hand perspectives on what should be done to assist shelter workers in dealing with euthanasia-related stress. Researchers conducted a qualitative analysis of 359 improvement suggestions to identify broad common themes and sorted the suggestions into 26 thematic categories.

Impact of euthanasia rates, euthanasia practices, and human resource practices on employee turnover in animal shelters.

Objective: To examine the effects of euthanasia rates, euthanasia practices, and human resource practices on the turnover rate among employees with euthanasia responsibilities at animal shelters.

Design: Cross-sectional original study.

Sample Population: 36 shelters across the United States that employed at least 5 full-time employees and performed euthanasia on site.

Employee reactions and adjustment to euthanasia-related work: identifying turning-point events through retrospective narratives.

This study used a retrospective narrative procedure to examine the critical events that influence reactions and adjustment to euthanasia-related work of 35 employees who have stayed in the animal care and welfare field for at least 2 years. The study analyzed adjustment trajectory graphs and interview notes to identify turning-point events that spurred either a positive or negative change in shelter workers' psychological well-being. Analysis of the identified turning-point events revealed 10 common event themes that have implications for a range of work, personnel, and organizational practices.