Faculty Perceptions of Workload: A Human Factor’s Approach to Instrument Development

Background and Purpose: Research revealed nursing faculty members’ perceived workload measures do not adequately capture the complexity of their workload. Using a human factors approach to address the multiple complex dimensions from the subjective perception of the worker, the Nurse Faculty Workload Assessment (NFWA) was developed. Methods: Survey data from 565 faculty members were used to establish the instrument’s psychometric properties. Results: NWFA Sections 1, 2, and 3 demonstrated reliability and internal consistency. Findings supported interrelationships between activity complexity, performance circumstances, and individual characteristics described in human factors workload literature. Conclusions: The NFWA provides a tool for administrators to evaluate faculty perception of workload expectations. Further study is needed to refine the NFWA and to compare the perception of faculty regarding workload using various workload formula calculations in various nursing programs.