Judy Mannix

Clinical nurses as teachers: insights from students of nursing in their first semester of study.

• This paper reports the findings of a study which sought to gain insights about the role of clinical nursing staff in the planned clinical experience of undergraduate nursing students. • This study differs from others in that the perspectives of students of nursing in their first year of the undergraduate programme are sought, and the role of clinical nurses rather than clinical teachers is of particular interest. • Using a story-telling approach, an exploration of students’ perspectives on the role of clinical nursing staff in their clinical learning was undertaken. • Analysis allowed findings to be grouped into helpful and unhelpful behaviours. • Helpful behaviours included understanding and being friendly, showing interest and explaining. Behaviours that students found unhelpful to their learning were often passive rather than active, but they made students feel acutely aware of being unwelcome in the clinical area. Several students described feeling intrusive, uncomfortable and even unwelcome in clinical areas because of the attitudes and behaviour of clinicians. • Findings of this study highlight the importance of clinicians and academic nurses working together to ensure that students of nursing, who represent the future of the profession, are provided with the best possible opportunities for clinical learning.

Towards sustainable models for clinical education in nursing: An on-going conversation

This paper grew from a series of conversations about the challenges associated with clinical education for undergraduate nurses. In it we consider clinical education for undergraduate nurses within the current context of increasing resource and industry constraints. Beginning level clinical competence is the major aim of undergraduate nurse education, and therefore clinical education is central to nursing curricula. However, almost 20 years after the transfer of nurse education to the tertiary sector in New South Wales, Australia, concerns about the clinical learning opportunities in undergraduate nursing curricula continue to be raised. Many educational providers have adopted various permeations of the sessional clinical facilitator model. However, this model has inherent problems that threaten its sustainability and usefulness for undergraduate nurse education. We call upon the discipline to explore alternative pathways for undergraduate clinical education, and present sustainable options for future development in this area.

Attributes of clinical leadership in contemporary nursing: An integrative review

Abstract Effective clinical leadership is offered as the key to healthy, functional and supportive work environments for nurses and other health professionals. However, as a concept it lacks a standard definition and is poorly understood. This paper reports on an integrative review undertaken to uncover current understandings of defining attributes of contemporary clinical leadership in nursing. Data collection involved a search of relevant electronic databases for a 10-year period. Keywords for the search were ‘clinical leadership’ and ‘nursing’. Ten research papers met the inclusion criteria for the integrative review. Analysis of these studies indicated clinical leadership attributes had a clinical focus, a follower/team focus or a personal qualities focus; attributes necessary to sustain supportive workplaces and build the capacity and resilience of nursing workforces. The small number of research-based studies yielded for the review indicates the need for further research in the area of clinical leadership.

Retaining a viable workforce: A critical challenge for nursing

Abstract Nursing is facing a crisis nationally and internationally with Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and Western Europe experiencing critical shortages of nurses. Problems with recruitment, retention and an ageing workforce means that attempts to ensure a viable nursing workforce must be placed at the top of the professional agenda. Strategies currently used to manage the crisis, such as overseas recruitment, are not sustainable and are ethically dubious. The demographic time bomb is ticking and up to half the current nursing workforce will reach retirement age by 2020. It is vital that there are adequate numbers of skilled and qualified nurses to take their places. Nursing and nurses are facing unprecedented challenges and pressures in the workplace. Job satisfaction is threatened as nurses are pressured to do more with less. Nursing productivity has increased phenomenally over the past ten years in response to increased demands and decreasing numbers of staff. The nursing workplace has disturbingly high levels of occupational violence, and many nurses operate within a culture of blame and scapegoating. There is evidence that organizational change is imposed upon nurses with little or no consultation and the literature reveals that this has a direct and negative effect on job satisfaction and on retention of nurses. This paper explores some of the critical issues that nursing must confront to be successful in establishing and maintaining a vigorous, dynamic and viable workforce.

Key Stakeholders in Clinical Learning and Teaching in Bachelor of Nursing Programs: A Discussion Paper

Abstract Since the transfer in Australia of preparatory nurse education from the hospital to the university sector, debate and discussion have continued regarding the perceived benefits and failings of the current system. In this paper we consider issues related to student clinical practicum from the perspectives of the student learner, the educational provider, the health service sector, the health consumer and the profession as a whole. The aim of this paper is to generate further discussion about clinical learning, a critical component of undergraduate nursing education. We argue that all stakeholders have a role to play in contributing to optimising all the clinical learning experiences for students in Bachelor of Nursing programs – the professional nurses of the future.

The importance of clinical leadership in the hospital setting

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress.com/permissions.php Journal of Healthcare Leadership 2014:6 75–83 Journal of Healthcare Leadership Dovepress

Valuing teamwork: Insights from newly‐registered nurses working in specialist mental health services

In this qualitative study, the experiences of a small cohort of registered nurses (RN) during the first 2 years of mental health employment were documented. A total of 13 semistructured interviews were completed from within a specialist mental health setting. Eleven issues were identified: (i) teamwork; (ii) experiential learning; (iii) self-development; (iv) confidence; (v) listening; (vi) rapport; (vii) keen observation; (viii) patience; (ix) empathy; (x) learning from colleagues; and (xi) maintaining a positive approach towards patients. The nurses focused on the here-and-now circumstances, rather than on future plans, or past preparation, and were able to elucidate the qualities and skills that they brought to their clinical work. Participants were most proud of achievements that bridged the personal and professional, such as self-development, working closely with patients to develop rapport, experiential learning, and teamwork. Findings highlight the importance of teamwork to newly-graduated RN entering the mental health environment. It is known that teamwork can convey a sense of belonging and help create an environment in which applied experiential clinical learning can occur. Therefore, it is important that efforts are made to facilitate team building and opportunities for teamwork when new graduates are transitioning into the mental health clinical practice environment.

Physical Health Inequities in People with Severe Mental Illness: Identifying Initiatives for Practice Change

People with severe mental illness have a higher prevalence of co-morbid physical diseases and a significantly reduced life expectancy when compared with people in the general population. This article explores the literature published between 2002 and 2012 in order to identify causes of poor physical health in those with severe mental illness and discusses interventions that may be implemented to enhance health outcomes for this group. The causes of poor physical health in those with severe mental illness are difficult to address. However, existing literature does identify some interventions that can potentially provide the basis for practice change.

‘I am going to be a dad’ : experiences and expectations of adolescent and young adult expectant fathers

AIM To explore the experiences of prospective adolescent fathers regarding their impending fatherhood. BACKGROUND Several studies indicate adolescent fatherhood is associated with multiple risk factors. Despite this, it is well documented that these young males have a potentially vital role in the lives of their child/ren and partners. Adolescent pregnancy has often been viewed with a particular emphasis on the mother and relatively little is known about the experiences and expectations of young males facing imminent fatherhood. DESIGN Narrative methods were used to collect qualitative data. METHOD Narratives were elicited through in-depth interviews with seven adolescent expectant fathers aged 16-22 years. RESULTS Impending fatherhood presented these young men with mixed emotions and many challenges. The pregnancies were all unplanned and though participants were all willing to face the responsibilities associated with fatherhood, they also reported feeling ill-prepared for the challenges that lay ahead. Impending fatherhood had caused the young men to reflect on the quality of fathering they had received themselves. The young men were hoping to provide their own infant with a better quality of fathering than they had experienced. CONCLUSIONS Nurses and midwives are ideally placed to provide support to young men facing impending fatherhood to better prepare them to meet the demands of their forthcoming role. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Prenatal classes should include specific sessions for prospective fathers and provide opportunities to assist young men to discuss their thoughts and concerns about impending fatherhood. It could also be useful to encourage young expectant fathers to engage in discussions with their own fathers and grandfathers. For those young men who do not have effective relationships with their own fathers, it could be useful to organise mentoring with experienced mature men who have successfully engaged in the fatherhood role.

Current state of knowledge on child-to-mother violence: a literature review.

Abstract Child-to-mother violence is a common aspect of family violence, and presents nurses and health workers with continuing challenges. Though noted in the literature as early as the 1950s, this phenomenon remains poorly understood. A number of reasons for the lack of research scrutiny are proposed, the most compelling being that child-to-mother violence has been framed within the discourse of juvenile delinquency rather than family violence. Thus, unlike other forms of family violence, it has escaped close examination by health and welfare workers. A literature review was conducted to examine current knowledge of child-to-mother violence. Study of the literature reveals only partial understandings of this neglected aspect of family pathology. Directions for research to address these gaps in knowledge are drawn from the findings of this literature review.