Catherine Cook

Different for women? The challenges of doctoral studies

This exploratory study investigates gender-specific differences in the challenges of the doctoral experience through the observations of a counsellor working with doctoral students. The article first contextualises the study within the literature investigating doctoral attrition and gender equity, showing that identity transformation over the doctorate is problematic in particular aspects for women. We confirm that cultural expectations regarding women passivity, family nurturance and (at least symbolic) subordination to male authority can cause tensions between womens social relationships and academic performance which values assertiveness, clear communication and confident management of power relationships. We identify various conflicts between the female roles of the social sphere and the academic arena that problematise the identity transition of the doctorate from student to independent researcher.

Using internet-based approaches to collect qualitative data from vulnerable groups: reflections from the field

Background: Undertaking qualitative research with vulnerable populations is a complex and challenging process for researchers. Traditional and common modes of collecting qualitative data with these groups have been via face-to-face recorded interviews. Methods: This article reports on three internet-based data collection methods; email and synchronous online interviews, as well as online qualitative survey. Results: The key characteristics of using email, sychronous online interviews and an online qualitative survey including the strengths and limitations of each are presented. Reflections and insights on the use of these internet-based data collection methods are provided to encourage researchers to embrace technology and move away from using traditional face-to-face interviews when researching with vulnerable populations. Conclusion: Using the internet to collect qualitative data offers additional ways to gather qualitative data over traditional data collection methods. The use of alternative interview methods may encourage participation of vulnerable participants.

Disrupted Bonds - Parental Perceptions of Regionalised Transfer of Very Preterm Infants: A Small-Scale Study

Background: Routine regionalised transfer of preterm infants occurs throughout Westernised countries. Transfer to lower acuity units occurs once infants are ready for convalescence and signals an infant’s improving health. However, many parents find transfer traumatic. Aims: To investigate parents’ perceptions of preterm infants’ transfer; to provide neonatal clinicians with insights to facilitate optimal service provision. Methods: Participants had experienced their baby born at less than 29 weeks gestation, and subsequent transfer. Six parents were interviewed. Design: Data were analysed using a general inductive approach. Findings: Three themes were interpreted through data analysis: NICU - incomparable haven; abandonment; and parental expertise side-lined. These themes represent a journey of interrupted identity that parents undergo when their baby is transferred to another unit. Conclusion: Despite studies recommending more family-centred transfer planning, gaps persist. Nursing care might be enhanced by incorporating insight into parental experiences and promotion of collaborative changes within and between units.

Ethical Underpinnings of Sexuality Policies in Aged Care: Centralising Dignity

ABSTRACT This article explores the tacit ethical positions underpinning policies about intimacy and sexuality for residential aged care. We make explicit the wide-ranging ethical positions and assumptions about the personhood of older people that inform these guidelines. This analysis is undertaken to ensure that a rigorous ethical critique informs policies and education. Eight accessible policies from Anglophone nations are analysed. We found that these policies are largely informed by liberal values that valorise autonomy and self-determination. In its 2014 Definition, social work moved beyond these individualistic values to acknowledge a broad range of cultural contexts and Indigenous knowledges. We found and explore five key ethical categories in these policies: well-being; Kantian notions of respect and dignity, which we reconstruct in a twenty-first century context to include respect for diversity; human rights; narrative approaches; and duty of care. In residential aged care, liberal values have evolved into neoliberal values that place institutions over individuals, and risk management over personhood. Policies must balance the tension between ensuring that such policies are sufficiently action-guiding, but are not rigidly prescriptive. By understanding the ethical concepts, practitioners are better able to craft person-centred approaches rather than simply taking legalistic approaches to policy.

Communication in the clinic: Negotiating nursing practice in sexual health clinics

ABSTRACT This article examines the tensions that can arise when managing the gulf between biomedicine and embodied nursing practice within a clinical context. We employ a thematic analysis of interview data from 6 nurses and 16 women attending 2 sexual health clinics in New Zealand. Four themes were identified. First, power of the gaze, and second, citizenship of the docile body illustrate the scientific, measurable context of biomedicine. Two further themes of entering the embodied lifeworld and neutralizing the power of the gaze give visibility to assumptions about the construction of meaning. The findings make two distinctive contributions. First, embodied communication challenged the omnipresent biomedical imperatives increasing agency for women. Second, despite positive outcomes, women still appealed to a biomedical paradigm as a beneficial adjunct to their clinical experience. Managers will benefit from recognizing the simultaneous presence of apparently competing paradigms of practice can enhance women’s experiences in clinical environments.