Turning points and routines in careers: a phenomenological study on the sustainability of career patterns and processes among home-care nurses

Purpose This study explores the sustainability of nurses’ careers. Therefore, this study considers the Careership Theory’s periods of stability and turning points in light of the career sustainability dimensions, person, context, and time, throughout nurses’ careers. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 17 home-care nurses were analysed through a phenomenological approach with contextualised thematic analyses of the in-depth narratives and visualisations of life diagrams. Findings The diagrams consisted of three types of turning points presented by Careership Theory: structural, forced, and self-initiated, and the following routines in the careers of home-care nurses: confirmatory, contradictory, socialising, dislocating, and evolutionary routines. Turning points did not always trigger change during careers, and contradictory and dislocating routines were found to be sustained for extended periods while these nurses remained happy, felt healthy and productive, provoking a discussion regarding sustainable careers. Originality/value This study combines the psychological person-centred lens of sustainable careers with the context-centred sociological lens of the careership theory against the shared systemic and dynamic background by deepening our understanding of the relationship between individual agency and contextual structures. It finds that individuals can maintain seemingly “unhealthy” career routines while feeling satisfied, adding complexity to our understanding of sustainable career indicators. Additionally, the consistency individuals exhibit in their careers highlights the importance of intra-personal dynamics, enriching the careership theory.