Jan Sayers

Essentials of building a career in nursing research

BACKGROUND Nursing research is fundamental to driving evidence-based practice and achieving safe outcomes for patients. Underpinning the discussion in this paper are nurse researchers who thought strategically during their undergraduate and postgraduate studies to build a body of credible research influencing patient outcomes and, in so doing, establish their careers. AIM To provide an overview of some of the career essentials that support a transition in role for the beginner or emerging researcher, otherwise known as the early career researcher. DISCUSSION Early career researchers need to acquire research competencies, to get involved in research teams, and to understand the research landscape and the various associated subtleties/vagaries and career trajectories. This is fundamental for establishing their credibility as researchers, and enabling them to undertake research that will influence policy and practice. CONCLUSION Establishing a research career is challenging, and takes time, effort, patience, perseverance and commitment. For beginner researchers, collegial support and mentoring are essential to support a viable, professional, sustainable, enquiring profession, and a satisfying career. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Building individual capabilities and collaborative research teams together is fundamental to research success in adapting to new roles and workplaces.

Boredom in the Workplace: Reasons, Impact, and Solutions

Boredom in the workplace is not uncommon, and has been discussed widely in the academic literature in relation to the associated costs to individuals and organizations. Boredom can give rise to errors, adverse patient events, and decreased productivity—costly and unnecessary outcomes for consumers, employees, and organizations alike. As a function of boredom, individuals may feel over-worked or under-employed, and become distracted, stressed, or disillusioned. Staff who are bored also are less likely to engage with or focus on their work. In this article, we consider the nature of boredom and also the reasons why employees, including mental health nurses, become bored in the workplace. We also discuss the role that can be taken by employees and employers to recognise and address the problem of boredom and we consider how best to develop sustainable workplaces that are characterised by engaged employees who provide the best possible service in healthcare settings.

People with Borderline Personality Disorder and Burns: Some Considerations for Health Professionals

aUniversity of Tasmania, School of Health Sciences, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; bDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, National Burns Center, Sheba Medical Center, Israel; cSackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel; dSydney Local Health District Mental Health Service, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; eUniversity Associate in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Tasmania, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Overview of Substance Use and Mental Health Among the “Baby Boomers” Generation

As the population ages, risk factors commonly shared by chronic degenerative disease can be exacerbated by behaviours and lifestyle choices. There is increasing evidence that those affected by chronic disease (and associated symptoms such as pain), depression and adverse behavioural and lifestyle patterns are at risk of substance misuse. This paper overviews substance use in Baby Boomers, which are defined as people aged between 52–70 years old, and the implications this may have on their mental health and well-being. We provide an overview of the characteristics of the Baby Boomer generation, their health status and what is currently known about their substance use and misuse. A strengthening of older adult mental health outpatient services is recommended to prevent and address substance use among older adults. Further research examining factors that influence substance use among this group could better inform health promotion programs targeting Baby Boomers.

Recovery-oriented Care and Leadership in Mental Health Nursing

A recovery-oriented mental health service actively involves consumers as fully as possible in all aspects of their care, empowering them to establish and strive for individual goals and to develop ...

Hope and Mental Health Nursing

Mental health care comprises not only therapeutic interventions but critically harnesses the personal attributes of both the individual patient and the mental health nurse, to determine and achieve...

Brokering community engagement: proactive strategies for supporting indigenous Australians with mental health problems

This qualitative study explored the experiences of mental health employees working with Indigenous clients living with mental illness. Interviews were conducted with 20 mental health workers to identify strategies they adopt to facilitate community engagement with Indigenous clients. Using a thematic analysis approach, ‘Brokering community engagement’ was the umbrella theme from which two subthemes related to community engagement for the service and clients emerged (1) enabling connections –community and family; and (2) recovery and reconnecting with community. Participant insights enabled a deeper understanding of the role of community in the recovery process for Indigenous clients and highlight the importance of community engagement as a primary, yet multifaceted strategy used by mental health workers in the communities they serve.

Rule Breaking: Some Positive and Negative Implications for Professional Standards and Clinical Practice

Rules regulate much of human activity, and permeate the professional lives of nurses, informing our scope of practice and professional and ethical behaviors. In the complex world of health care provision, where demands on staff can be high, and critical voices representing the best interests of health care consumers can be lacking, the testing and breaking of rules by nurses is not uncommon (Collins, 2012). In this column, we explore rule breaking and the implications it can have for employees, organizations and employers and, ultimately, health care consumers. Understanding how and why people bend or break rules may assist nurses to realize better workplace communication and interpersonal relationships and to better negotiate and help evolve the complexities of health care provision. Breaking a rule may be an act of neglect or self-interest (Nogami & Yoshida, 2013) and can place an individual or group at risk. Alternatively, rule breaking may be an act of resistance, pragmatism or valuable creativity (Collins, 2012). From a psychological perspective there are numerous explanations for why a person may break rules, including: as an act of creativity (or because someone is creative enough to ‘reframe’ the event as acceptable or necessary); to establish or reinforce status within a group (breaking the rules can make oneself more powerful); to bond with or support others (the Robin Hood defense); to ensure one is not disadvantaged if others are perceived to have been advantaged through rule breaking; because it is morally the right thing to do; due to lack of self-awareness that one is actually breaking a rule; or because rule breaking has become normalized and is thus not consciously acknowledged (Pincott, 2014). In a general context, employees who break rules may be seen to be demonstrating deviant or counterproductive behavior (Bryant, Davis, Hancock, & Vardaman, 2010). However, in some circumstances rule breaking can have a positive influence on the workplace. Indeed, Buckingham and Coffman (1999) urge innovative business managers to “first, break all the rules” with the intention of devolving traditional power structures, empowering employees and fostering innovation. Such pro-social rule breaking (PSRB) is defined as: “any instance where an employee intentionally violates a formal organizational policy, regulation, or prohibition with the primary intention of promoting the welfare of the organization or one of its stakeholders” (Morrison, 2006, p. 6). PRSB reflects the reality that situations and contexts often warrant a flexible approach rather than rigid adherence to rules that may be outdated or detrimental to the organization or employee (Vardaman, Gondo, & Allen, 2014). Employees who experience a high level of autonomy in their roles are well placed to break the rules more often. These employees may perceive themselves to be effective problem solvers, feel a greater sense of empowerment and control, and be more self-sufficient (Morrison, 2006). Employees may engage in PSRB behaviors for altruistic reasons including being able to perform their role more effectively, helping peers, and assisting others who are important to them such as a client (Bryant et al., 2010; Morrison, 2006). It is important to acknowledge, however, that even PSRB may have repercussions. Indeed, some employees may feel that violations of the rules are unacceptable by any staff member, including management (Bryant et al., 2010) and rule breaking by others may negatively influence an individual employee’s perceptions of what is or is not acceptable behavior in the workplace. If, for example, an employee perceives that the rules pertaining to a manager’s behavior have been unjustly broken or overlooked the employee may feel that their “psychological contract” with the employer has been “broken” (Bryant et al., 2010, pp. 104–105). This may negatively impact the employee causing them to become disillusioned and potentially reducing their job satisfaction and performance (Bryant et al., 2010). An employee who becomes aware that a peer has participated in PSRB is more inclined to engage in PSRB themselves (Morrison, 2006). This demonstrates that once someone breaks the rule, even in support of the organization’s best interests, then others may perceive that this is acceptable behavior irrespective of the consequences (Vardaman et al., 2014). There will, however, always be some individuals who find rule breaking abhorrent or too risky to contemplate. Irrespective of the situation such people are unlikely to violate the rules (Vardaman et al., 2014). This does not mean that people engaging in PRSB are “bad”

Nursing and Stereotypes

Nurses comprise the largest group of healthcare providers (Auerbach, Staiger, Muench, & Buerhaus, 2013), and a strong and resilient nursing workforce is crucial to effective healthcare delivery (Pr...

Friendship and Mental Health

Friendship can be vitally important to our mental health and well-being. It offers experiences highlighting our interconnectedness and illustrating actions and qualities that may guide us in caring...