Chinese nursing students at Australian universities: A narrative inquiry into their motivation, learning experience, and future career planning

This study presents a narrative inquiry of Chinese nursing students at Australian universities in order to examine these students’ motivations, learning experiences and future career planning. Australia seeks to attract international nursing students from China to maintain its economic advantage and alleviate its projected nursing shortage. In contrast, China desperately needs its best and brightest citizens who have trained abroad as nurses to return to China in order to cope with its current challenges in the healthcare system and nursing education. Little is known about the underlying factors that motivate Chinese nursing students to study in Australia, these students’ learning experiences at Australian universities, and whether or not these students will return to China after graduation. This study undertook a narrative inquiry using the three-dimensional space narrative structure approach, with an epistemological perspective drawing on constructivist and interpretivist theory. Through interviews, the authentic voices of six participants’ stories were collected to capture the entire emotional, social, intellectual and reflective processes of each student’s motivations, learning experiences and future career plans. The research findings from this study are presented as both narrative and thematic representations. By exploring and representing each theme and narrative that emerged from the field texts, meaning was unpacked to provide insights to the ‘reality’ as seen by the study participants. The findings revealed that the students’ key motivation to study in Australia was related to the possibility of permanent residency post-qualification. The decision to move was dynamic, with the participants describing cultural and social push and pull factors. Encouragement and support from peers and family were strong contributors to the motivation to study nursing and eventually work and live in Australia. Parents played an especially vital role in this decision-making process. In addition, the participants expressed a strong desire to maximise Australia’s opportunities and cultural experiences. The participants’ experience of studying in Australia was characterised by the need to learn a new language, feeling lost in a new education system vastly different to the one at home, the challenge of making new friends and socialising, and eventually successfully completing their study and attaining their goals. The experience of being an international student was not described as easy. It requires taking risks, courage, determination, motivation and persistence to succeed. Through their lived experiences and reflections of their learning journey in Australia, the six participants reconstructed their personal identity and worldviews, which ultimately helped them locate their place in Australia. The conclusion of the participants’ journey highlighted that their learning experiences have particular implications for international education, healthcare development, future educational connections and investment globally. The insight gained from this study can support the development of successful human capital investment strategies for all parties involved. In the field of international student education, nursing education is relatively understudied. This thesis presents insight into the reality of international student migration through the lens of individual actors in the process, the students themselves

Interpreting in Palliative Care: A Continuing Education Workshop

Offers a curriculum for a daylong course for interpreters about palliative care, including lesson plans, handouts, presentation slides, and videos

Communication in clinical practice: critical success factors for ESL students : a thesis completed in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy at Massey University, Palmerston North

This study investigates the factors most likely to support effective communication in clinical placements for ESL nursing students in New Zealand. The experiences of ESL students as they complete a clinical placement are examined and compared with data from the students‟ clinical lecturers and preceptors. Data for the study was collected through interviews with individual students before, during and after their Transition to Practice placement. Interviews were also held with two of the students‟ preceptors, and a focus group was held with clinical lecturers who had experience of working with ESL students. Results from the study underline the importance of facilitating students‟ entry to the placement community of practice, and access to its interactions. A number of factors supported or inhibited students‟ participation and learning within the placement community. The study identified two critical factors intrinsic to the student, and two extrinsic to the student. Intrinsic factors included the student‟s proficiency with English language: in particular, the sophisticated sociopragmatic language skills used by nurses in their daily interactions. The student‟s use of learning strategies, including the proactive approach best suited to learning on placement, was also critical. Extrinsic factors likely to support the student‟s integration within the community of practice were the quality of the preceptor, in terms of attitude to and training for the preceptoring role, and the tone of the placement environment. The major outcomes of this study point to the importance of providing direct instruction for ESL students in the kinds of language and learning styles required for placement. There are also implications for the selection and training of preceptors and for the placing of students in appropriate clinical environments. The study concludes with suggestions for a specific communication programme for ESL students

Teaching Strategies for Shaping the Conversation in Nursing Ethics Education

Nursing as a profession has had an enduring past that has responded to the changes and challenges within a complex healthcare system. In a 2014 Gallup survey, nurses were recognized as the top profession in the areas of honesty and ethical standards. For the last thirteen years nurses have earned this honor. According to the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) president Dr. Pamela Cipriano, “The public places its faith in nurses to practice ethically. A patient’s health, autonomy and even life or death, can be affected by a nurse’s decisions and actions” (P. Cipriano, personal communication, March 12, 2015). Nurses have a commitment to the public as the public recognizes nurses’ ability to care for those seeking health and healing (American Nurses Association, 2015). The American Nurses Association’s commitment to ethics has a long-standing history within the nursing profession dating back to the 1800s with the first professional code of ethics embraced in 1950 (ANA, 2015). Since that time, the Code has evolved with the changes within nursing, healthcare, technology, society, and the environment. The purpose of the Code was to create non-negotiable, normative statements that outline the obligations, values, and principles for nurses as individuals, groups of nurses, and the profession. The Code provides the framework for nurses’ understanding of their commitment to individuals, families, communities, and populations (ANA, 2015). Since its infancy, the Code has been viewed as a guide for ethical analysis and decision-making within the profession. It is grounded in “nursing theory, practice, and praxis in its expression of the values, virtues, and obligations that shape, guide, and inform nursing as a profession” (ANA, 2015, p. vii). The Codeserves as a resource for nurses in their ethical milieu to execute their ethical responsibilities and obligations (Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, 2014). Nurses are expected to uphold the values and ideals of the nursing profession in all areas of their life (ANA, 2015). Individuals who aspire to enter the nursing profession need additional guidance and education within nursing school curriculum. Nurse educators have the opportunity and obligation to guide undergraduate and graduate nursing students in the areas of nursing ethics, ethical analysis, and ethical decision-making to produce ethical practitioners. The subsequent sections of this scholarly work is comprised of the following: the significance of the project explained; questions posed moving forward in the literature; topic background; theoretical foundation and professional standards that support nursing ethics and education; suggested evidenced-based frameworks for teaching nursing ethics; emerging themes from the literature; identified gaps in the literature; and recommendations for nurse educators and nurse educator practice

An overview of the research evidence on ethnicity and communication in healthcare

• The aim of the present study was to identify and review the available research evidence on 'ethnicity and communication' in areas relevant to ensuring effective provision of mainstream services (e.g. via interpreter, advocacy and translation services); provision of services targeted on communication (e.g. speech and language therapy, counselling, psychotherapy); consensual/ participatory activities (e.g. consent to interventions), and; procedures for managing and planning for linguistic diversity

Promoting Culturally Diverse Students in Clinical Settings

With the increasing globalisation and flow of immigration to Western countries, the popula-tion is becoming culturally diverse. Also in Finland the immigrant population has increased in recent decades. It is widely acknowledged that culturally diverse nursing students en-counter several barriers during their studies, particularly during clinical practice. The purpose of this literature review was to research what models and strategies there are currently available for supporting culturally diverse students during their clinical practice. Our research question was: which strategies can be used to support culturally diverse stu-dents during the clinical practice? We chose literature review as a methodology. Literature that is relevant for our subject was found mostly from articles retrieved through a database search by using CINAHL database. The strategies respond to problem areas which are usually related to six main themes which are cultural differences, language, communication, social isolation, limited oppor-tunities for learning and resources. We found that several strategies and models are available to support culturally diverse students, but there is only little empirical research. The results of this study can be used to provide suggestions for clinical practice placements so that they can improve the learning experience for the culturally diverse students. Hopefully implementing the suggested support strategies will limit the negative experiences due to cultural differences and increase the learning opportunities. This can make a significant improvement in the learning experience of the culturally diverse students and even have a great positive effect on their future career and integration into the society.Jatkuvan kansainvälistymisen ja maahanmuuttajavirtojen myötä länsimaissa väestö on monikulttuurisempaa. Maahanmuuttajien osuus on kasvanut myös Suomen väestössä viime vuosikymmeninä. On havaittu, että kulttuuritaustaltaan erilaiset sairaanhoitajaopiskelijat kohtaavat opintojensa aikana, etenkin työharjoitteluissa, monia haasteita. Tämän kirjallisuuskatsauksen tarkoitus oli kartoittaa erilaisia menetelmiä, joita voidaan käyttää kulttuuritaustaltaan erilaisten sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden tukemisessa työharjoitteluiden aikana. Tutkimuskysymyksemme oli: minkälaisia menetelmiä voidaan käyttää kulttuuritaustaltaan erilaisten sairaanhoitajaopiskelijoiden tukemiseen työharjoitteluiden aikana? Valitsimme kirjallisuuskatsauksen metodologiaksi. Aiheeseemme sopivaa kirjallisuutta haimme tietokantahaulla CINAHL-tietokannasta. Löytämämme menetelmät liittyvät ongelma-alueisiin, jotka ovat jaoteltavissa kuuteen eri teemaan: kulttuuriset erot, kieli, kommunikaatio, sosiaalinen eristäytyminen, rajoitteet oppimiselle sekä resurssit. Havaitsimme, että eri strategioita ja malleja kulttuuritaustaltaan erilaisten opiskelijoiden tukemiseen on olemassa, mutta empiiristä tutkimusta on vain vähän. Tämän opinnäytetyön tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää kun tarvitaan suosituksia kulttuuritaus-taltaan erilaisten opiskelijoiden tukemiseen kliinisten harjoitteluiden aikana. Toivomme, että tässä työssä suositeltujen tukimenetelmien hyödyntäminen vähentää kulttuurisista eroavaisuuksista johtuvia huonoja kokemuksia ja antaa enemmän oppimismahdollisuuksia. Tällä voi olla merkittävä myönteinen vaikutus kulttuuritaustaltaan erilaisten opiskelijoiden oppimiskokemukseen ja jopa heidän tulevaan työuraansa sekä sopeutumiseen yh-teiskuntaan

Multilingualism across the Lifespan

This innovative collection examines key questions on language diversity and multilingualism running through contemporary debates in psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. Reinforcing interdisciplinary conversations on these themes, each chapter is co-authored by two different researchers, often those who have not written together before. The combined effect is a volume showcasing unique and dynamic perspectives on such topics as multilingualism across the lifespan, bilingual acquisition, family language policy, language and ageing, language shift, language and identity, and multilingualism and language impairment. The book builds on Elizabeth Lanza’s pioneering work on multilingualism across the lifespan, bringing together cutting-edge research exploring multilingualism as an evolving phenomenon at landmarks in individuals’, families’, and communities’ lives.　Taken together, the book offers a rich portrait of the different facets of multilingualism as a lived reality for individuals, families, and communities. This ground-breaking volume will be of particular interest to students and scholars in multilingualism, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics

Multilingualism across the Lifespan

"This innovative collection examines key questions on language diversity and multilingualism running through contemporary debates in psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. Reinforcing interdisciplinary conversations on these themes, each chapter is co-authored by two different researchers, often those who have not written together before. The combined effect is a volume showcasing unique and dynamic perspectives on such topics as multilingualism across the lifespan, bilingual acquisition, family language policy, language and ageing, language shift, language and identity, and multilingualism and language impairment. The book builds on Elizabeth Lanza’s pioneering work on multilingualism across the lifespan, bringing together cutting-edge research exploring multilingualism as an evolving phenomenon at landmarks in individuals’, families’, and communities’ lives.　Taken together, the book offers a rich portrait of the different facets of multilingualism as a lived reality for individuals, families, and communities. This ground-breaking volume will be of particular interest to students and scholars in multilingualism, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics.

Uma análise das práticas de gestão de Recursos Humanos no sector da saúde na Tailândia: o estudo de caso dos hospitais públicos e privados na Tailândia

Dissertação de mestrado em Gestão de Recursos HumanosThailand, full meaning symbolize “land of the free” is the distinction of being the only country in South East Asia never to have been colonized. The country is the democratic country with constitutional monarchy, having the King as a head of the state. Country in closed relationship with U.S since late 1940s, the western exposure on education and some management practices including human resource practices have been implemented in organizations in Thailand. The health care sector has been operating as a key player with highest manpower compare to other sectors in Thailand thus, the challenges are numerous in relate to human resource management. The study of human resource practices in health care sector is intriguing because, the traditional employment management systems of Thai firms are implementing modernised methods, which many of them are imported from the West. Furthermore, Thai culture, influenced both from East and South Asia, substantially influence on HR practices. Based on Thailand’s historical background, Buddhism and culture values, this study aims to examine the human resource practices in selected public hospitals and private hospitals in Thailand in order to compare and contrast the findings of those HR managements. The research was done by using the qualitative method. To figure out the social culture influence at working place, the opinions were gathered during semi-structured interviews and conversations with medical doctors, professional nurses, personnel officers and HR specialists, and other staffs in these sampled hospitals. Thailand’s Office of Civil Service Commission (OCSC) and Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) were requested and best co-operated to provide their profiles (Civil Service Act and annual report) for the analysis regarding HR policy. In the final part, interviews and discussions were conducted with key personnel in three public hospitals and two private hospitals. Particularly, the administrative structure of selected public hospitals is divided into three levels: central administration, local administration and provincial administration. The study shows that the underlying Thai values and social cultures such as: patron-client relationship, seniority system, to act with compassion (kreng jai), face-saving, and being grateful (katanyu-katawethi) have much influence on HR practices either in the public hospitals or private hospitals. The seniority concept, derived from Confucius culture, has great influence yet in mutual relationships and also in the operation of the organizations. Therefore, the Thai traditional values have impact on the human resource practices on staff’s performance appraisal and career development.Tailândia, cujo significado simbolizam a "terra dos livres", tem a distinção de ser o único país do Sudeste Asiático que nunca foi colonizado. É um país democrático com monarquia constitucional, tendo o Rei como chefe de Estado. Tem uma relação próxima com os Estados Unidos da América desde finais dos anos 1940, o que lhe proporciona uma exposição ocidental sobre as práticas educacionais e de gestão, incluindo a gestão de recursos humanos nas organizações na Tailândia. O sector da saúde opera como um fator-chave devido ao seu elevado número de trabalhadores comparativamente a outros sectores na Tailândia assim, os desafios da gestão de recursos humanos são inúmeros. O estudo das práticas de gestão de recursos humanos no sector dos cuidados de saúde é intrigante porque os sistemas de gestão de emprego tradicionais das empresas tailandesas estão implementando métodos modernizados, muitos deles importados do Ocidente. Além disso, a cultura tailandesa, influenciada tanto do Oriente como do Sul da Ásia, influencia substancialmente as práticas de RH. Baseado no passado histórico tailandês, bem como no Budismo e cultura da Tailândia, este estudo pretende analisar as práticas de recursos humanos em determinados hospitais públicos e privados na Tailândia, para comparar e contrastar os resultados da gestão de RH destes. A pesquisa foi efetuada utilizando o método qualitativo. Para descobrir a influência da cultura social no local de trabalho, as opiniões foram recolhidas através de entrevistas semiestruturados e conversas com os médicos, enfermeiros, pessoal de recursos humanos e outras equipas de funcionários dos hospitais incluídos na amostra. Ministério da Saúde Pública (MoPH) e Departamento da Comissão de Serviço Civil (OCSC) também foram solicitados a fornecer os seus relatórios (lei do serviço civil e relatório anual) para apoio na análise sobre a política de recursos humanos. Finalmente, foram realizadas entrevistas e efetuados debates com pessoas posicionadas em locais estratégicos de três hospitais públicos e dois hospitais privados. Os hospitais públicos selecionados estão sob diferentes estruturas administrativas: central, regional e local. O estudo mostra que as normas subjacentes tailandês e valores tais como: relação de patrão-cliente, sistema de antiguidade, ser atencioso (kreng jai), consideração e ser grato (katanyu-katawethi), têm muita influência sobre as práticas de recursos humanos, quer nos hospitais públicos, quer nos hospitais privados. O conceito de antiguidade, derivado da cultura de Confucius, tem também muita influência não só nas relações mútuas, mas também no funcionamento da organização. Portanto, os valores tradicionais tailandeses têm impacto tanto nas práticas de recursos humanos como na avaliação do desempenho do pessoal e no desenvolvimento da carreira