Abstract
Developing nursing care and the new technologies involved also require nurses to learn continuously and update their expertise. Attention has also been paid to the attractiveness of the profession-its ability to attract young people and retain nurses currently working in the profession. The concept of empowerment has been widely adopted in nursing research and in development of nursing care, education, and management. In the literature it has generally been considered in the context of organizations' functioning and personnel management methods. In the psychological theory, used in this study, empowerment is seen as a process of personal growth and development. The qualities, values, and endeavours inherent in the individual as well as environmental factors are key factors here. The purpose of this article is to describe the results of a quantitative study (n = 416) dealing with nurse empowerment and to identify the background factors significant for its realization. Consistent with numerous previous studies, job satisfaction and organizational commitment were found to be crucial elements of nurse empowerment, too.