A kaupapa Maori Nursing stream as a Choice For Maori Tauira (students). ANEC presentation

Within New Zealand nursing there is an awareness of need for relevant safe and accessible care for Maori, one approach has been to increase the number of registered nurses who identify as Maori. This goal has not been without its challenges. When it comes to the topic of Maori achievement in education most will readily agree that the research has focused on Maori underachievement. While this no doubt remains a reality for many Maori it is time to look at successful programmes and to ask why? This presentation will give an overview of a successful Maori education programme - Tihei Mauri Ora which is undertaken within the Centre for Health and Social Practice at Te Kuratini o Waikato (WINTEC). This programme recognises kaupapa Maori and begins to address the needs of a minority community who are partners in a bi-cultural context. Although academic success is still predominately an individual accomplishment, Tihei Mauri Ora’s success is grounded in not only the individual but the development of the wider community, and building the capacity in hauora (health) in each whanau (family). It is the living of the content of this programme, rather than just delivering it which may be enabling achievement challenges for maori students to be overcome. We will present the living of this programme, the small steps made for big gains, and the collaborative mahi (work) undertaken, from the perspective of the staff, students and whanau. Discussing what is different about our successful approach to the positive outcomes for maori Bachelor of Nursing students in the Tihei Mauri Ora stream

Tihei Mauri Ora: a retention programme supporting Maori nursing student achievement.

Within New Zealand nursing there is an awareness of a need for relevant safe and accessible care for Maori. One approach has been to increase the number of registered nurses who identify as Maori. Recruiting Maori into nursing has increased and statistics in universities and polytechnics indicate that the most popular qualification for Maori at bachelor level is Bachelor of Nursing (Earle, 2008). Strengthening education and achievement is crucial to Maori retention and success in nursing and has been identified as a priority by the District Health Boards of New Zealand and the New Zealand Nursing Council. Rather than focusing on Maori underachievement the Ministry of Education (2007) recommends educational institutions and teachers shift away from deficit to strengths based models, and consider alternative education and teaching approaches to raise Māori achievement in nursing education. Whilst progress has been made in recruiting Maori into the New Zealand health and disability workforce (Wilson, McKinney and RapataHaninng, 2011), retention and completion rates remain lower than non-Maori

NWSA News and Views

Elaine Reuben FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE Summer is traditionally known as a slow season in the Washington area, and an organization like NWSA, involving so many students and teachers, also seems to take a break between semesters. I can\u27t speak for the Federal folk—except to note that July\u27s march on the Capitol was followed by their extending the deadline for ratification of the ERA—but our work continued

The Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire

The Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire (DOQ) is designed for completion by people who have Type 2 diabetes. There are 8 SCALES, with several ITEMS in each scale. Each scale deals with one topic and comprises a number of items. Each item deals with one obstacle in that topic. Each item should be answered by ticking one box. For an individual who has Type 2 diabetes, not all scales may be relevant, so a selection of which scales to use can be made either by the person, or by his or her clinician. Having selected the scales to be used, all items on a scale should be answered. The items are deliberately all related to obstacles and so may seem to have a negative tone to them. The items are designed to identify the obstacles for an individual person. The obstacles are those items for which the respondent has ticked the box for Agree or Strongly Agree. In a clinical setting this could then lead to the obstacles being addressed. In a research setting, the scales may be used to demonstrate change in obstacles, perhaps due to an intervention intended to reduce obstacles

A feasibility study of acceptance and commitment therapy for emotional dysfunction following psychosis

The experience of psychosis can lead to depression, anxiety and fear. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) facilitates individuals to accept difficult mental experiences and behave in ways that are consistent with personally held values. This study was a single (rater) blind pilot randomised controlled trial of ACT for emotional dysfunction following psychosis. Twenty-seven participants with psychosis were randomised to either: ten sessions of ACT plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills and Working Alliance Inventory were used. Individuals were assessed at baseline and 3 months post-baseline. The individuals randomised to receive ACT found the intervention acceptable. A significantly greater proportion of the ACT group changed from being depressed at time of entry into the study to not being depressed at follow-up. The ACT group showed a significantly greater increase in mindfulness skills and reduction in negative symptoms. Results indicated that individuals randomised to ACT had significantly fewer crisis contacts over the study. Changes in mindfulness skills correlated positively with changes in depression. ACT appears to offer promise in reducing negative symptoms, depression and crisis contacts in psychosis