Nursing managers and leaders must fight to retain nurses in hospitals by constructing an inviting organizational climate that is attractive to work in, not toxic. The organizational climate is primarily affected by employees’ internal work environment and behavior. Hence, nursing managers and leaders must implement effective strategies to increase nurses intention to stay by address the organizational climate. This study was designed to assess nurses’ perception of the effects of organizational climate and toxic leadership behaviors on their intention to stay and the differences in these domains between the two hospitals studied. A descriptive comparative design was used. Data were collected in 2022 from 250 nurses working in the two largest hospitals in Assiut, an Egyptian city south of Cairo, using three self-administered questionnaires: the organizational climate questionnaire (42 items categorized into nine domains), the toxic leadership scale (30 items categorized into five domains), and the Chinese version of the intent-to-stay scale. Most nurses reported their intention to stay as “normal.” The nurse participants perceived that a positive organizational climate was not present, but toxic leadership was at a low level (13.6% and 25.6%, respectively). The model of regression analysis was significant, showing that the organizational climate represented by supportive systems impacted nurses’ intention to stay in the hospitals under study. Meanwhile, toxic leadership behaviors, represented by authoritarian leadership, unpredictability in the university hospital, and self-promotion in the insurance hospital, affected nurses’ intention to stay. Positive organizational climate played a significant role in retaining nurses through investing in incentives and providing supportive systems. Authoritarian leadership, unpredictability, and the self-promotion of leaders' behaviors impacted the nurses and the climate negatively. Hence, we recommend investing in potential strategies to improve the nurses’ intention to stay through performance standards, increased pay and benefits, clear reward mechanisms, participation in decision making, and assessments of leaders’ behaviors. Furthermore, decision and policy makers need to establish effective, supportive systems in hospitals to retain nurses. Hence, nursing managers and leaders must rethink how they can use their leadership skills and behavior in a positive manner to promote nurse retention. Not registered

The absence of nursing students from classrooms and clinical has a negative impact on their performance and prolongs the length of their studying. The aim of this study is to identify the influencing factors of absenteeism among nursing students at Minia University. This study was conducted at the Faculty of Nursing at Minia University, and Minia University Hospitals. The sample of students that participated in the study represented all academic levels as follows: first level 49/370, second level 49/292, third level 52/248, and fourth level 50/220. Data were collected with the use of a self-administered questionnaire. This study revealed that influencing factors of absenteeism among the studied nursing students indicated that the highest mean scores were associated with teaching factors, followed by assessment factor where means scores were (18.3 ± 4.5, and 17.1 ± 5.6, respectively). Also, the lowest mean score reported was associated with social problems (mean = 8.9 ± 3.2). This study concluded that the most common contributory factors in student absenteeism were related to teaching factors including a shortage of staff in the clinical area, and lack of understanding of the lecture content. Recommendations: Providing a safe learning environment, keeping accurate records of attendance and calculating absenteeism rates at frequent intervals are required for identifying each individual’s pattern of attendance.

Purpose. To maintain the quality of patients care, head nurses (HNs) are confronting various contradicting issues that require the ability to manage polarities and concern coaching behaviors as exploring situations, building alliances, and maintaining communication with nurses. This study aimed to explore the effect of HNs workplace polarity management educational intervention on their coaching behaviors. Design. A quasiexperimental (pre-posttest) research design was used. Method. This study was conducted at Tanta International Teaching Hospital, on 12 HNs and 300 nurses using three tools: (I) a polarity management knowledge questionnaire; (II) a polarity map evaluation observational checklist; and (III) a nurses perception of the HNs coaching leadership behaviors questionnaire. The statistical tests used were as follows: the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the significance of the obtained results was judged at the 5 level; the marginal homogeneity test, ANOVA with repeated measures, the Wilcoxon signed ranks test, and the Friedman test. The study was conducted between end of 2021 and beginning of 2022. The educational intervention included 3 sessions: polarity management and the keys to manage it, polarity map (stability versus change), and head nurses role in managing polarity and how it reflects on their coaching leadership behavior. HNs ability to practice polarity management was classified into levels according to cutoff points: high >75, moderate 6075, and low <60. Results. Before intervention (66.7, 100) of head nurses had poor knowledge and low practice that changed after 3 months of intervention to be 58.3 and 41.7, respectively. Before and 3 months after the intervention (70.0, 33.7) of nurses perceived that head nurses had a low and a moderate level of coaching, respectively. 70.0 of working nurses reported that they noticed that head nurses' coaching behaviors were low before the educational intervention, but the percentage decreased by half three months after the educational intervention. Conclusion. Implementing the educational intervention for head nurses about workplace polarity management significantly correlated with the nurses perception of their HNs coaching behaviors.

Introduction: Self-medication (SM) is a practice wherein an individual consumes medicines without consulting a physician. This growing practice can lead to serious consequences, such as adverse drug reactions or treatment failure. Evidence suggests that SM is particularly common among young adults. Objective: To assess the patterns and knowledge of SM among undergraduate health sciences students. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted on 571 undergraduate health sciences students from January to March 2023. Data on SM practices and associated factors were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A convenient sampling method was employed to recruit the students. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with SPSS software. Results: Self-medication was reported by 83.5% of participants. Knowledge of SM was satisfactory in 56% and unsatisfactory in 44%. Practice scores were unsatisfactory in 70% and satisfactory in 30%. Pharmacies (61.1%) and the Internet (53.5%) were the main information sources. Significant correlations were found between SM and chronic disease (χ ² = 10.846, p = .0009) and lack of medical insurance (χ ² = 84.175, p = .0001). Painkillers and antipyretics were the most commonly used SM drugs with 51.7% and 45.4%, respectively. Chronic diseases were reported by 8% of participants, of which 27.1%, 18.8%, 22.9%, and 31.2%, reported glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, hypothyroidism, asthma, and anemia, respectively. Conclusion: A significant proportion of the respondents practice SM. Although knowledge of SM was satisfactory, it is recommended to be aware risks of SM among students and enforce stricter supervision on the sale of over-the-counter drugs.

Background: Career plateauing is an increasingly recognized workforce challenge in nursing, associated with reduced motivation, professional growth, and retention. While organizational support and role-related factors are known to influence nurses’ work outcomes, their combined effect on career plateauing remains insufficiently explored, particularly in university hospital settings. Aim: This study aimed to examine the effect of perceived organizational support, role clarity, and role ambiguity on career plateauing among staff nurses working in university hospitals. Methods: A descriptive correlational cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected from 210 staff nurses working in two Egyptian university hospitals using four validated instruments: a demographic data sheet, the Perceived Organizational Support Scale, the Role Clarity and Role Ambiguity Questionnaire, and the Career Plateauing Scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses with SPSS version 27. Results: Most nurses reported moderate levels of organizational support (85.2%) and career plateauing (84.3%). Role ambiguity demonstrated a significant negative correlation with career plateauing (r = −0.441, p < 0.01), while organizational support and role clarity were positively associated with plateauing perceptions. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that role ambiguity was the strongest predictor of both hierarchical and job content plateauing (p < 0.001), followed by role clarity and organizational support. Conclusions: Reducing role ambiguity may alleviate perceptions of career plateauing among nurses. However, increased organizational support and role clarity alone may heighten awareness of limited advancement opportunities if not accompanied by tangible career development pathways. Nursing leaders should focus on clarifying roles while creating realistic and transparent opportunities for professional growth.