Leadership in context: Insights from a study of nursing in Western Australia

This paper investigates the importance of integrating context when analysing the role and practice of leadership within a specific organization or profession. It does this with reference to a study of nursing in Western Australia. Using theoretical sampling, qualitative data were collected through interviews and focus groups with targeted stakeholders in Western Australia’s public health system. The main purpose of the data collection and analysis was to identify perceptions and understandings of leadership among key stakeholders. Findings emerged which identified the importance of considering specific dimensions of the cultural, social and institutional context in order to understand the practice and experience of leadership among nurses in the Western Australian public health sector

Nurses as Managers: Education and Support for the Role

Nursing unit managers (NUM's) occupy the often unenviable position of first-line management in many health services in Australia. As such, their role is complex and multifaceted requiring an intertwining of their clinical and managerial responsibilities. While there is an abundance of studies that explore and describe the various management roles in many professions and industries, little is known about nurses as managers. This paper will report on a qualitative study that explored the stories of a number of nursing unit managers in New South Wales, Australia. One focus of the study was to identify the education and preparation provided for nursing unit managers prior to and during the early days of taking up their position. Data was collected using unstructured individual interview, NUM's were asked to comment on the scope of their role and responsibilities both as a nurse and as a manager, and their feelings about the adequacy of the education they received for the role. The findings indicate that the participants often experience feelings of uncertainty and role conflict. The implications of these findings will be discussed with reference to the nature of the conflicts described by the participants and their suggestions for educational preparation that would better prepare them for this complex role. Finally this paper will identify how the findings could enhance the existing support and education provided for aspiring nursing unit managers

Rural nursing unit managers: Education and support for the role

INTRODUCTION: Nursing unit managers (NUMs) occupy the often unenviable position of first-line management in many health services in Australia. As such, their role is complex and multifaceted requiring an intertwining of their clinical and managerial responsibilities. While there is an abundance of studies that explore and describe the various management roles in many professions and industries, little is known about the experiences of nurses as managers, particularly in rural settings. This article focuses on the education and support needs of rural nursing unit managers.METHODS: A qualitative study design was used to explore the stories of a number of nursing unit managers in rural New South Wales, Australia. Data was collected using semi-structured individual interviews. Data was analysed using a voice-relational method as a framework for more clearly hearing the voices of participants. This method of data analysis is particularly useful for hearing from those who do not usually have a 'strong' voice, for gaining an understanding of the context of the interviews, and for acknowledging the role of the researcher in the research process. All NUMs employed in a single regional health authority in rural Australia were invited to participate.RESULTS: Out of 42 NUMs in the region, 20 agreed to be interviewed. Nursing unit managers were asked to reflect on their experiences prior to and during the early days within the position. In summary, all the NUMs: believed they were promoted because of their clinical expertise; felt unprepared for the managerial and administrative aspects of their role; continued to identify as nurses rather than as managers; found the role isolated them from their former peer group. Those employed in small facilities had limited opportunities for education and peer support.CONCLUSIONS: Based on the NUMs' experiences and suggestions, the following information would have helped them to cope with the demands of their new role: information and discussions about the role expectations of first-line manager, from both an employee and employer perspective; human resource and financial management skill development; leadership skills; negotiation and conflict resolution; a clear and realistic role description

Implementing family-centred care: an exploration of the beliefs and practices of paediatric nurses

OBJECTIVE:This study explored paediatric nurses' perceptions of how they include and involve parents in the care of hospitalised children.DESIGN:This qualitative study used individual unstructured interviews to gather data, the data was analysed using thematic coding.SETTING:Paediatric wards within two regional area health services of New South Wales, Australia.SUBJECTS:Fourteen paediatric nurses were asked to describe their beliefs and practices regarding the clinical application of family-centred care.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:Paediatric nurses' beliefs and practices about family-centred care were explored in an effort to explain how the concept was implemented.RESULTS:The findings are presented as four interconnected themes. The first describes how participants either allocated tasks to parents or retained them, the second relates to the nurses' professional identity, the third theme identifies barriers and constraints to the implementation of family-centred care, while the fourth describes the nurses' beliefs about their responsibilities when delivering family-centred care.CONCLUSIONS:Together these findings suggest that while nurses endorse the concept of family-centred care, the implementation into practice is more problematic. While it is not possible to generalise these findings to other paediatric nurses, the authors believe the insight gained will resonate with paediatric nurses internationally. The findings from this study are being used as the basis for the development of clinical practice guidelines to assist paediatric nurses to more consistently apply the concepts of family-centred care to their practice

The Lure of the Bush: Are graduate nurses attracted to rural practice?

Since the late 1980s, there has been a growing body of knowledge in Australia that recognises rural nursing as a separate and unique identity from remote and metropolitan-based nursing. Whilst much has been written about remote area nursing in Australia, very little empirical literature exists regarding the recruitment and retention issues facing rural health care facilities and even less is known about the retention and recruitment of new graduate nurses into rural practice. This is significant to the rural workforce because without current data regarding recruitment and retention issues and effective strategies to recruit new graduate nurses into rural settings, problems concerning the adequacy of the rural workforce will remain unsolved.This paper will report on research conducted in 2005 designed to enhance understanding of rural nursing recruitment issues and effective recruitment strategies at the undergraduate nursing level. The study utilised a convenience sample of final year Bachelor of Nursing students at a regional university, and consisted of three stages of data collection. Stages One and Two employed a pre-post test survey design, while Stage Three consisted of individual qualitative interviews with a sample of students during a rural clinical placement. The findings indicate that complex and interrelated factors influence new graduates' decisions to seek employment in rural healthcare facilities. These findings will be of interest to nurse academics concerned with ensuring that nursing curricula relate to rural nursing practice in Australia. The findings will also assist industry partners in identifying and evaluating effective recruitment strategies in rural practice settings

The limitations of access to continuing professional development amongst Australia's rural sonographers and its effect on job satisfaction: A pilot study

Introduction - Sonographers in Australia form an important component of health care within rural and remote communities. Being remotely located brings its own set of difficulties in accessing continuing professional development (CPD). There is little research investigating the rural sonographers' experience with access to CPD and how this affects job satisfaction. Method - The purpose of this research was to investigate if limited access to CPD is experienced in the rural setting, what barriers to participation exist, and if reduced access has a negative effect on job satisfaction. Data were collected via the Australasian Sonographers Association (ASA) members' forum, inviting rural and remote sonographers to participate in an anonymous online questionnaire. Results - This study showed that various barriers to CPD participation exist, with in‐person CPD participation seen as highly valuable. Conclusion - This study opens an opportunity for further conversations on how to improve CPD access amongst rural sonographers with the possible underlying solution being increased employer support