A leadership program in an undergraduate nursing course in Western Australia: Building leaders in our midst

This paper discusses a leadership program implemented in the School of Nursing at Edith Cowan University to develop leadership in fourth semester nursing students enrolled in a three year undergraduate nursing degree to prepare them for the dynamic ‘changing world’ environment of healthcare. Students were invited to apply to undertake the program in extracurricular time. Nineteen students applied to the program and ten were chosen to participate in the program. The numbers were limited to ten to equal selected industry leader mentors. The leadership program is based on the belief that leadership is a function of knowing oneself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize one’s own potential. It is asserted that within the complexity of health care it is vital that nurses enter the clinical setting with leadership capabilities because graduate nurses must take the lead to act autonomously, make decisions at the point of service, and develop a professional vision that fits with organizational and professional goals Thus, the more practice students have with leadership skills, the more prepared they will be to enter the workforce. The program consists of three components: leadership knowledge, leadership skills and leadership-in-action. The leadership program focuses on the student-participant’s ability to be self reflective on personal leadership qualities, critically appraise, and work within a team as well as to take responsibility for ensuring the achievement of team goals as leader. The program is practical and is reliant on the involve ment of leader mentors who hold positions of leadership with the health industry in Western Australia. Students completed a pre and post program questionnaire related to abilities and skills in leadership. This paper discusses pre and post evaluation data against program outcomes. The findings demonstrate that participants of the program increased their ability to influence, persuade and motivate others; to effectively communicate; to team build and work collaboratively; to develop problem solving and perseverance skills to overcome obstacles; and to serve as agents for positive change

Developing the synergy between university and industry-based nursing courses : Lessons in engagement

On the surface the process of engagement seems functional, however, if the engagement process does not take into account people dynamics and the effects of the wider social, organisational and cultural context, multiple tensions may occur. This paper shares the story of the tensions related to culture, relationships, communication and the impact of change in bringing a University-Community project to its completion. The scholarship of engagement revealed the nature of this complex process and uncovered the need for a richer understanding of the people involved and their mindset. The challenges and opportunities encountered in the engagement process will be identified and the “how to” and “how not to” manage the process and the consideration of the people will be discusse

The nexus of nursing leadership and a culture of safer patient care

Aims and objectives: To explore the connection between +6 nursing leadership and enhanced patient safety. Background: Critical reports from the Institute of Medicine in 1999 and Francis QC report of 2013 indicate that healthcare organisations, inclusive of nursing leadership, were remiss or inconsistent in fostering a culture of safety. The factors required to foster organisational safety culture include supportive leadership, effective communication, an orientation programme and ongoing training, appropriate staffing, open communication regarding errors, compliance to policy and procedure, and environmental safety and security. As nurses have the highest patient interaction, and leadership is discernible at all levels of nursing, nurse leaders are the nexus to influencing organisational culture towards safer practices. Design: The position of this article was to explore the need to form a nexus between safety culture and leadership for the provision of safe care. Conclusions: Safety is crucial in health care for patient safety and patient outcomes. A culture of safety has been exposed as a major influence on patient safety practices, heavily influenced by leadership behaviours. The relationship between leadership and safety plays a pivotal role in creating positive safety outcomes for patient care. A safe culture is one nurtured by effective leadership. Relevance to practice: Patient safety is the responsibility of all healthcare workers, from the highest executive to the bedside nurse, thus effective leadership throughout all levels is essential in engaging staff to provide high quality care for the best possible patient outcome

The specialist breast care nurse\u27s role in the indentification and minimisation of distress in a members\u27 only, breast cancer focused online support community

Objectives: To show how a specialist breast care nurse (SBCN) can use the distress thermometer to determine an online community member’s distress level and then use the information in their posts and blogs to identify the cause(s) and deal with them appropriately. To highlight the use of a structured written emotional expression (SWEE) format online, as a way of minimising distress. Method: A survey of online community members together with analysis of the content of members’ posts and blogs to determine whether their distress thermometer score had decreased since the SBCN had been online to deal with member distress. Results: The survey showed that four of the survey participants who completed the survey N=30 had completed a SWEE, been personal messaged by the SBCN about their distress thermometer score and declared that the information and advice they received had been instrumental in decreasing their distress score. It was not possible to identify whether a SWEE made any difference to the Distress Score. Conclusion : The SBCN can use the Distress Thermometer tool online to screen for member distress and deal with this distress through information, advice and support or referral to another health professional. A DT scores should be repeated before and after each of the breast cancer treatment stages so that appropriate interventions can be put in place to minimise or prevent the member’s distress. Specialist nurses in other specialised nursing areas can use the distress thermometer to measure and address the problems/issues causing support community members distress. That the content of a SWEE is one way in which members can document and vent about the problems causing their distress and this information can be used by the nurse to put in place appropriate solution or provide advice and support

Munchausen by Internet and nursing practice : An ethnonetnographic case study

This paper used Feldman’s clues to factitious illness behavior on the Internet (FIBI), to determine whether the online behaviour of one member of an online breast cancer support community www. breastcancerclick.com , moderated by a specialist breast cancer nurse (SBCN), could be Munchausen by Internet (MBI) and why identification of this behaviour is important for online nursing practice. This was a focused ethnonetnographic and qualitative research study whereby the online behaviour of one member was observed and compared with Feldman’s clues to factitious behaviour on the Internet. The online data showed that nine out of ten of Feldman’s clues were applicable to the member’s behavior in the Click online community. The relevance of these findings are discussed in relation to the effects this behaviour can have on other community members, the attendant legal ramifications and the necessity for nurses and other health professionals, who are employed or who participate in online support communities, to be aware of this behaviour and how to recognize it

A snapshot of the transition into retirement from academia in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

Australia has an aging population with increasing numbers embarking on the major life transition to retirement when compared to previous decades. The Australian university sector has experienced considerable upheaval as it has undergone austerity measures to attempt to manage the impact of the pandemic. The objective of this study was to conduct interviews with Australian university academics who have recently transitioned into retirement, to explore their experience of transitioning to retirement in a COVID-19 environment. The study followed the COREQ guidelines for qualitative studies. Participants were selected based on having recently retired within the previous two years from an Australian university. We conducted semi-structured interviews to explore the participants’ in-depth experience of the transition to, as well the actual experience of retirement. Thematic analysis was conducted. Six participants with a mean age of 64.7 years were interviewed for this study. Five super-ordinate themes emerged; ‘dissatisfaction with the university,’ ‘desire to continue to be involved,’ ‘financial considerations,’ ‘loss of identity, meaning and belonging,’ and ‘the need to plan and maintain a structured life.’ Retirement was seen as an important change in life. There appeared to be a weighing up of the value of quality of life, perhaps influenced by a growing awareness of its shortness. The respondents believed it is extremely important to plan retirement and to start this process early. Proffered recommendations included the making of plans to remain mentally and physically active, and to maintain purpose into retirement

Postgraduate nurses’ insights into the nursing leadership role. Do they intuitively link the role to patient safety?

Nursing leaders are compelled to ensure a safety and quality agenda in the acute care environment as patient outcomes are linked to nursing care. Good nursing leadership where focus is directed to accountability and responsibility for clinical outcomes and patient safety, results in reduced adverse events and patient mortality. Integral to the future of high-quality effective clinical care with an absence of errors is the training of the next generation of nursing leaders. In this discussion paper, the extent to which future nurse leaders intuitively acknowledge patient safety as part of their leadership role was examined amongst a cohort of postgraduate nursing students. A content analysis to search for quality and safety terminology was conducted on 146 essay responses to a question about the nurse leader role in today’s healthcare environment. The results indicated minimal acknowledgement of patient safety as an intuitive consideration in the nursing leadership role. Recommendations are discussed for developing postgraduate nursing educational curricula with patient safety strategies as a central component to the practice of leadership