Influence of public image of nurses on nursing practice

Many researchers believe that nurses live in a dual structure, encompassing both the social and nursing worlds. They contend that these two worlds have contrasting views toward nurses. This is, while nurses are guided to establish professional status, society still expects them to remain in a dependent role. This conflict is assumed to have a negative impact on nurses’ psychological and functional states (Kalisch & Kalisch, 1983 & 1987). However, this assumption has not yet been explored sufficiently. The aim of this descriptive correlational study was therefore to investigate the relationships among the public image of nurses, nurses’ self concept, personal and collective self-esteem, job satisfaction, and performance. A total of eighty registered nursing students were invited to participate in this study by completing seven types of questionnaires (see Appendix C). The data were analysed by Pearson correlation and One-Way Analysis of Variance. The results of this study supported contention of the contemporary nursing scholars that the stereotypical public image of nurses could negatively affect nurses’ self-concept, self-esteem, job satisfaction and performance. The results, however, also demonstrated that the professional socialisation and cultivation of nurses’ personal self-esteem would help to buffer the negative effects of the public stereotypes on nursing practice. Based on these findings, this study suggests countermeasures to deal with the negative impacts of the public stereotypes. These strategies include public education, monitoring the media, changing nurses’ attitudes, encouraging professional socialisation, empowering nurses, and boosting nurses’ self-esteem. This study is expected to help nurses overcome the potential effects of the public stereotypes. The results of the study are also dedicated to nurses who have endeavoured to facilitate the process of professionalization in nursing

Enterococcus hirae vacuolar ATPase is expressed in response to pH as well as sodium

AbstractThe Enterococcus hirae ntp operon encodes both a vacuolar ATPase, which transports Na+ as well as Li+, and the KtrII K+ transporter. A plasmid, in which the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene (CAT) was placed downstream of the ntp promoter, was introduced into a mutant totally defective in Na+ extrusion. The CAT activity of this transformant was increased preferentially by addition of NaCl, but not by LiCl, in the media or by elevating the medium pH, correlating well with the increase in amounts of the ATPase subunits observed by Western blotting. The physiological significance of these responses of the ntp promoter is discussed

基礎看護学臨地実習における初年次履修学生の学習の動機づけと学習行動：パイロットスタディ

　本研究の目的は、基礎看護学臨地実習において、看護大学１年次生が自己認知するARCS動機づけモデルの４因子（注意、関連、自信、満足）が、学生の主体的授業態度や学習行動とどのように関連しているかを試験的に検証することである。A大学看護学科で基礎看護学臨地実習を履修した学生97名を対象に無記名自記式質問調査を行った。その結果、29名の学生から有効回答を得た（有効回答率29.9％）。検証した結果、臨地実習における「自信」と主体的授業態度（r=.395、p＜.05）および学習行動（r=.494、p＜.01）との間に有意な正の相関を認めた。他の３因子に関しては、有意な相関は見られなかった。学生の主体的授業態度や学習行動を高めるためには、学生が「自分は頑張った」と自らを認め、実習前に比べ「できる」自分を発見できるような教員の関わりが必要である。その関わりが、学生の成長や自己効力感を向上させ、主体的な授業態度および学習行動の誘発に繋がると考えられる

看護専修学校生の学習行動に対する動機づけ４因子の関与についての仮説モデルの検証

　本研究の目的は、看護技術の学年共同演習を経験したＡ看護専修学校の学生が認知するARCS動機づけ４因子と主体的授業態度が、学習行動に及ぼす影響についての仮説を立て、パス解析を用いて検証することである。Ａ看護専修学校生165名を対象に無記名自記式質問紙調査を実施した。結果、対象者のうち134名から有効回答を得た（有効回答率81.2％）。A: 注意は学習行動に対して、間接的には主体的授業態度を介して正の影響を示し、直接的には負の影響を示した。R:関連は、学習行動に対し正の直接的な影響をもたらしていた。C: 自信は、主体的授業態度を介して学習行動に正の間接効果を示した。S: 満足は学習行動に対して直接的にも間接的にも有意な影響は示さなかった。また、課外学習時間と主体的授業態度の間には、有意な正の相関が確認され、両者の間には、互いに促進しあう関係があることが可能性として示唆された

学生観点による学習意欲を促進させる動機づけ因子 －混合研究法を用いて－

　学習意欲を促進させる動機づけ因子を学生観点から抽出しその影響を明確にするために、混合研究法の探索的順次デザインを用いて研究を行った。第１フェーズでは、A県内看護系３大学に所属する２～４年次生23名に半構造化面接を行い、質的帰納的に分析した。学生の学習意欲を促進させる動機づけ因子は、【良い看護師になるため】【科目に対する個人的な興味関心】【先を見越した計画的な学習】【試験合格や成績良好を目指して】【他者の学習姿勢から受ける刺激】の５カテゴリーであった。第２フェーズでは、第１フェーズの結果に基づいて作成した動機づけ尺度を用いて、学生が影響を受けている動機づけの段階を明確にした。看護系２大学に所属する２～４年次生500名に協力を依頼し、165名（回収率33％）から回答を得た。多くの学生は、罪悪感解消や承認獲得の願望、外部からの圧力や報酬、学習自体への興味関心が学習の動機づけとなっていることが示唆された

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMAGES OF NURSING AND PERSON-ENVIRONMENT FIT

The public image of nurses has been of great concern to the nursing profession. This image views nursing as a female occupation with nurses having little power over their practice. Researchers claim that the stereotypical public image of nursing could constrain nursing practice. For instance, nursing skills may be under-utilised and the health care environment may not adequately reward nurses for their performance. There has also been a concern that the constraints arising from the stereotypical public image of nursing may adversely affect nurses ’ work behaviour. Based on the Person-Environment-Occupation Model of Occupational Performance, the thesis examined how the public image of nurses could impact on nursing practice. The thesis also explored the person-environment (mis)fit in nursing, which is characterised as (in)congruence between nurses ’ professional orientation (i.e., nurses’ self-image, role expectations and work values) and their actual practice (i.e., nurses’ perception of the image of nurses held by the public, and nurses ’ perceptions of their actual roles and the rewards available to them in practice). In addition, the thesi

Modelling Seasonal Variations in Presentations at a Paediatric Emergency Department

Overcrowding is a phenomenon commonly observed at emergency departments (EDs) in many hospitals, and negatively impacts patients, healthcare professionals and organisations. Health care organisations are expected to act proactively to cope with a high patient volume by understanding and predicting the patterns of ED presentations. The aim of this study was, therefore, to identify the patterns of patient flow at a paediatric ED in order to assist the management of EDs. Data for ED presentations were collected from the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia, with the time-frame of July 2003 to June 2008. A linear regression analysis with trigonometric functions was used to identify the pattern of patient flow at the ED. The results showed that a logarithm of the daily average ED presentations was increasing exponentially (as explained by 0.004t + 0.00005t 2 with t representing time, p<0.001). The model also indicated that there was a yearly oscillation in the frequency of ED presentations, in which lower frequencies were observed in summer and higher frequencies during winter (as explained by -0.046 sin(2πt/12)-0.083 cos(2πt/12), p<0.001). In addition, the variation of the oscillations was increasing over time (as explained by -0.002t*sin(2πt/12)- 0.001t*cos(2πt/12), p<0.05). The identified regression model explained a total of 96% of the variance in the pattern of ED presentations. This model can be used to understand the trend of the current patient flow as well as to predict the future flow at the ED. Such an understanding will assist health care managers to prepare resources and environment more effectively to cope with overcrowding