American nurses' work autonomy on patient care and unit operations.

Work autonomy is an essential aspect of nurses' professional lives. The aim of this research was to study American nurses' work autonomy and, in particular, autonomy over patient care and unit operations decisions. Data were collected electronically during July of 2004. A total of 300 American nurses were recruited from two clinical listserves in which nurses communicate electronically as a group. Nurses were more autonomous about decisions relating to patient care than unit operations, and their total work autonomy was moderate. Correlations and stepwise regression analyses revealed that nurses' experience, education, and time commitments influenced their work autonomy. Findings suggest that nurses' work autonomy should be enhanced to reach its full potential and that nurse administrators should promote their nurses' work autonomy.