Presentation and discussion based on materials by Mina Kostova – PhD candidate at IPS-BAS.
We invite you to a workshop devoted to a doctoral dissertation examining the working conditions and professional development of nurses in Bulgaria — against the backdrop of one of the most pressing challenges facing contemporary healthcare systems: the structural shortage of nursing staff.
The author proposes an original theoretical framework built around two key concepts: quality of work and professional identity. The central argument of the dissertation is that professional identity can paradoxically reinforce structures that undermine the quality of work — creating mechanisms that obstruct improvement in the situation of the professional group itself.
The empirical analysis is grounded in the classic exit / voice / loyalty framework (Hirschman), which allows the author to capture how working conditions shape the professional attitudes of nurses toward institutions and the broader healthcare system.
The workshop will address the following research questions:
- What are the specific characteristics of the nursing profession, and how can the quality of nurses’ work be defined?
- How does the quality of work affect nurses’ professional orientations toward exit, voice, and loyalty strategies?
- How can the quality of work of nurses be improved?
Date: 7 May 2026, 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Venue: Institute of Sociology, University of Wrocław, Koszarowa 3 (onsite)
Online: Microsoft Teams (hybrid format)
To attend, please complete the registration form in advance: https://forms.office.com/e/sUxx4jMFrS
Upon registration, participants will receive the empirical materials prepared for discussion.