Staff nurses in Connecticut were surveyed concerning characteristics of the workplace and their perceptions of power. The theoretical framework for this study was developed from Roger's Nursing Model, Kanter's Organizational Theory and Seeman's construct of alienation. Based on the assumption that the environment and worker are interrelated when measuring perceptions of power, it was hypothesized that specific organizational and decision-making factors affect a staff nurse's sense of power.

Responses were obtained from 169 nurses who returned questionnaires containing information regarding personal characteristics such as age, level of education and membership in ANA; organizational characteristics, such as size, type of facility, type of nursing practiced, work conditions; decision-making factors such as ability to participate on decision-making committees and staff back-up while attending, recommending nursing as a career, reparation for organizational politics; and relationships with physicians.

Guilbert's (1979) Health Care Work Powerlessness Scale developed from Seeman's (1966) construct of alienation, was used as the primary dependent measure. Scores ranged from 0 to 14 (high powerlessness) with a mean score for the staff nurses of 5.289. This compares with other studies of head nurses, 3.28 (Tibbles, 1984) and nurse administrators who obtained a mean powerlessness score of 1.82 (Young, 1980).

There were no significant correlations between a staff nurse's perceived sense of power and personal characteristics, nor organizational factors measured. As predicted, there were significant correlations between power, decision-making factors and relationships with physicians. These factors will be helpful knowledge when discussing power in educational preparation of nurses and health care settings which employ nurses.

Educators and administrators can utilize these findings to begin to establish a staff nurse's sense of power. The nursing shortages which occur on a regular basis can be avoided and cost containment achieved when a broad base of empowered health care professionals is created.