BACKGROUND: The shortage of nurses in operating room departments (ORs) in Sweden and other countries can lead to reduced capacity and quality in healthcare, as well as more intense work for those on the job. Little is known about what nurses in ORs perceive as crucial for their workplace to be attractive.

OBJECTIVE: To capture attractive qualities of nurses work in ORs and to adapt the Attractive Work Questionnaire (AWQ).

METHODS: The AWQ, rating attractive qualities of work, were completed by 147 (68%) nurses in four Swedish ORs. Principal Component Analyses were performed to determine the underlying structure of the data.

RESULTS: The factors in the area Work conditions were: relations, leadership, equipment, salary, organisation, physical work environment, location, and working hours; in the area Work content: mental work, autonomy and work rate; and in the area Job satisfaction: status and acknowledgement. The Principal Component Analysis showed consistency with the original AWQ. Cronbach’s alpha varied between 0.57-0.90.

CONCLUSIONS: The AWQ captured attractive qualities for nurses in ORs, some less discussed regarding nurse retention, i.e. equipment, physical work environment and location. The results suggest that the questionnaire is reliable and valid and can be a useful tool in identifying attractive work.