Nursing

 

Recent Submissions

  • Exploring the role of effective nurse leadership during COVID-19.
    Scales, Susanna
    The role of leadership in nursing and healthcare is continuously being examined, and has undergone increasing public and media scrutiny due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This article details a project that brought together five final-year nursing students and two experienced nurses who had all worked as part of the early response to the pandemic. Meeting regularly online, the participants sought to explore the literature on nursing leadership as well as their own clinical experience and personal reflections of leadership during the pandemic. This process, which took place over a period of four months, also enabled the participants to examine their own leadership style. Four themes emerged from the group discussions: learning about and building on the history of nursing, the participants' role in nursing leadership, effective leadership during times of uncertainty and the role of communication in effective leadership.

  • Pierre Bourdieu: Expanding the scope of nursing research and practice
    Nairn, Stuart; Pinnock, David (2017-10)
    Bourdieu is an important thinker within the sociological tradition and has a philosophically sophisticated approach to theoretical knowledge and research practice. In this paper, we examine the implication of his work for nursing and the health sciences more broadly. We argue that his work is best described as a reflexive realist who provides a space for a nonpositivist approach to knowledge that does not fall into the trap of idealism or relativism. We emphasize that Bourdieu was not an abstract theorist, but only utilized theories to understand and explain the social world in all its empirical complexity. Theory is emphasized over method without denying the importance of method. We then provide a brief overview of some of his key concepts: habitus, field and capital. His work is a scientifically astute practice that has an emancipatory purpose, with particular resonance to the problems of nursing as a social practice. Some have criticized Bourdieu for undermining agency and we briefly address this issue, but argue that his conceptual framework helps us to understand what endures in social practice and why change is often problematic. In short, this paper argues that Bourdieu's work is a fruitful resource for critiquing existing nursing approaches that are preoccupied with agency over structure.

  • How does role transition affect the experience of trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioners: Qualitative evidence synthesis
    Moran, Gregory; Nairn, Stuart (2018-02)
    BackgroundAdvanced Clinical Practitioners have been developed to address current and future gaps in the medical workforce. Insight into problems associated with Advanced Clinical Practitioner transition may help present and future trainees adapt to their changing and demanding health environment.AimsTo identify potential problems experienced by trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioners during transition and what the implications might be for workforce planning.DesignA qualitative evidence synthesis to examine the issue of role transition for Advanced Clinical Practitioners.Data sourcesThe electronic databases accessed (1997-2016) were MEDLINE,EMBASE,CINAHL,BNI,AMED and PubMed and also included Researchgate, thesis publications, hand searching and NHS staffing reports.Review methodsEleven studies were identified between 1997 - 2016. Thematic synthesis was undertaken, creating codes, descriptive and analytical themes. Quality appraisal of individual studies was conducted using the tool of Walsh and Downe.FindingsSix analytical themes were identified that addressed the key issues of transition discussed in the 11 articles and which were directly related to the proposed research project: experience of change, orientation to role, mentorship, clinical skills, clinical supervision and Masters' level education.ConclusionsFindings from all 11 articles were similar. Where these six themes were ignored, there was often either a failure to reach expected goals or resignation from the role. Future employers must ensure that they establish a comprehensive orientation and education programme to be certain that qualified Advanced Clinical Practitioners are suitably prepared for their

  • How clinical observation enhances recruitment and selection.
    Sutherland, Clare (2012-11)
    A survey of nurse managers in Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2010 found 51 practitioners working at an advanced clinical level, but there were variations in titles, pay bands, clinical skills and academic qualifications. This prompted the introduction of a local framework to support the development of the advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) role and a review of the interview process to enable managers to assess applicants' skills, competencies and knowledge. The process is now used in practice, with candidates' clinical skills now observed as part of the ANP selection process. This article describes how the new process works.