The Pursuit of Joy: Exploring Radiology Nurses’ Search for Joy and Balance in Work and Personal Life

Well-being at work can be achieved by offering programs that promote healthy lifestyles, mindfulness, and humor. Overwork, stress, exhaustion, and the resulting lack of enjoyment at work lead to burnout or even illness, which can lead to increased chances of professional errors. The qualitative descriptive research aims to identify the presence of job satisfaction among radiology nurses and the contextual factors that moderate job satisfaction and shape it accordingly. The purposive sample consisted of 10 radiology nurses, with an average age of 52 years. The survey took place in November 2023. Data were collected by semistructured interview and analyzed using the content analysis method. Two main themes are identified: (1) characteristics of work in radiological nursing and (2) search for balance in work and personal life. The interviewees described several aspects that influence their enjoyment and satisfaction at work, among which teamwork and communication were highlighted as key points common to all for achieving enjoyment at work. The interviewees described their still present joy of work and their visions as positive influences. They also described negative influences that reduce the enjoyment of work and affect all aspects of work and work performance.