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Abstract: Aims: To analyse published ranking tables on academics’ h‐index scores to establish whether male nursing academics are disproportionately represented in these tables compared with their representation across the whole profession. Background: Previous studies have identified a disproportionate representation of UK male nursing academics in publishing in comparison with their US counterparts. Design: Secondary statistical analysis, which involved comparative correlation of proportions. Methods: Four papers from the UK, Canada, and Australia containing h‐index ranking tables and published between 2010–2017, were reanalysed in June 2017 to identify authors’ sex. Pearson's chi‐squared test was applied to ascertain whether the number of men included in the tables was statistically proportionate to the number of men on the pertinent national professional register. Findings: There was a disproportionate number of men with high h‐index scores in the UK and Canadian data sets, compared with the proportion of men on the pertinent national registers. The number of men in the Australian data set was proportionate with the number of men on the nursing register. There were a disproportionate number of male professors in UK universities. Conclusion: The influence of men over nursing publishing in the UK and Canada outweighs their representation across the whole profession. Similarly, in the UK, men's representation in the professoriate is disproportionately great. However, the Australian results suggest that gender inequality is not inevitable and that it is possible to create more egalitarian nursing cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives This paper aims to investigate the transition experiences of students with previous nursing qualifications (nondegree qualifications) entering a nursing degree program. Background Nurses with professional nursing qualifications (nondegree) are an important pool of professionals to draw on to help address nursing shortages through providing alternative pathways to becoming registered nurses. However, research suggests this cohort need higher levels of support and intervention to be successful. Design An integrative review was conducted, guided by Whittemore and Knafl's framework. A comprehensive search was conducted and 14 studies were included in the review. Methods A five-stage approach was used to conduct the review: problem identification, literature search, data evaluation, data analysis and presentation of results. Constant comparative analysis was used to identify commonalities, differences and themes in the relevant literature. Results Themes emerged that suggested students struggled with academic and institutional challenges, becoming learners, managing conflicting demands of outside life, developing a student identity and experienced threat to their sense of professional identity. Additionally, the cohort did not view themselves as 'the same' as traditional students. Holland's framework provides a useful framework from which to conceptualise these students' experiences. Conclusion There are challenges for this cohort of students as they transition into degree level study. Supportive activities that extend and further develop students' personality orientations may be a useful starting point in addressing some of the challenges and providing a more positive transition to university. Relevance to clinical practice The demand for health care is growing and there remains a shortfall of registered nurses. Nurses with professional qualifications (nondegree) are an important pool of professionals from which to increase registered nurse numbers and address workforce sustainability issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The global prevalence of diabetes is a pressing public health concern. Over 400 million individuals live with the effects of the disease, predominantly in low- and middleincome countries. In Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), over 300 000 people have diabetes, resulting in a population rate of 43.1 per 1000. Enabling nurses to prescribe diabetes medications enhances accessibility and improves health outcomes for large sections of the population. Aim. This rapid review was undertaken to investigate the influence of nurse prescribing on health care delivery for individuals with diabetes in NZ, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, countries sharing comparable health care systems and multicultural backgrounds. Methods. The review protocol was published on PROSPERO. In November 2022, a search was conducted across multiple databases to locate relevant literature and resources constrained to the last decade (from January 2012 to November 2022). Utilising the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework, data extraction was systematically structured, while rigorous appraisal processes upheld selection quality. Results. Fifteen publications were identified as meeting predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The review of these articles revealed four main themes: the impact of nurse prescribing on clinical outcomes, levels of patient satisfaction, implications for health care service provisions, and identification of barriers and facilitators associated with nurse prescribing. Discussion. This report identifies outcomes of nurse prescribing, concluding it provides a potential avenue for enhancing access to and alleviating the burden on health care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Background Presentations to emergency departments (EDs) and patient acuity continue to increase. Whilst strategies to deliver safe patient care in the ED are evolving, emergency nurses need to be well educated through specialist qualifications to enable delivery of advanced patient care. This paper presents a comparative analysis of available international practice and competency standards for nurses graduating from emergency nursing courses in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Methods CINAHL, Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE, and Embase were searched for papers, published in English, using the terms: ‘emergency’, ‘accident and emergency’, ‘nursing’, ‘competency’, ‘practice standards’, ‘scope of practice’, ‘regulation’, and ‘specialist standards’. Secondary sources from relevant reference lists and professional websites were also searched. Results The standards from the five countries were common across five domains: clinical expertise, communication, teamwork, resources and environment, and legal. None of the standards were specific to the emergency nursing graduate, and there was variability in the level of expertise required for which the standards apply. Conclusions The available practice standards demonstrated some commonality. Consideration of the utility of a universal framework for informing the development of emergency nursing practice standards and emergency nursing curriculum for nurses wishing to specialise is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To explore the experiences of strategic leads for nurse education as they sought to respond to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Design: We utilised a qualitative interpretative approach to explore education leaders' experiences of leading during the early months of the pandemic. Methods: Nineteen leaders with significant strategic responsibility for nurse education in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom were identified via purposive sampling and agreed to participate. Interviews were held between May and July 2020. Results: Four overarching themes arose from the analysis: (1) Crisis driven adaptability & flexibility; (2) Responsive, complex and changing communication; (3) Making decisions for student and staff safety; (4) Looking to the future; stronger partnerships. Conclusion: Internationally, while nursing education leaders faced different problems, they shared a common goal amidst the crisis to remain student‐centred. They demonstrated they were able to face major challenges, respond to large scale logistical problems and make decisions under significant and ongoing pressure. Impact: In responding to the pandemic, nurse leaders shared knowledge and offered mutual support. This bodes well for future collaboration. The move to online learning accelerated an existing trend and it seems likely that this will continue. Given the pressures they experienced over an extended period, the sector may wish to consider how it prepares and supports existing and future leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the health workforce responses to COVID‐19. Design: Analysis of job advertisements. Methods: We collected advertisements for healthcare jobs which were caused by and in response to COVID‐19 between 4 March–17 April 2020 for the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. We collected information on the date of the advertisement, position advertised and location. We categorized job positions into three categories: frontline, coordination and decision support. Results: We found 952 job advertisements, 72% of which were from the United States. There was a lag period between reported COVID‐19‐confirmed cases and job advertisements by several weeks. Nurses were the most advertised position in every country. Frontline workers were substantially more demanded than coordination or decision‐support roles. Job advertisements are a novel data source which leverages a readily available information about how workforces respond to a pandemic. The initial phases of the response emphasise the importance of frontline workers, especially nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To explore the concept of sustainability in nursing using social media as a vehicle for discussion on the topic. Background There is a need for an increased awareness among nurses of the issues that are crucial for the healthcare sector to prepare for climate change and contribute to sustainable development. However, topics about sustainability and climate change are not a requirement of nursing curricula in Europe; social media provides an opportunity to raise issues and promote discussion. Design A thematic analysis of a Twitter discussion. Methods A Twitter discussion session hosted by @WeNurses took place on 24 March 2015 over 1 hour. Data were gathered via this online discussion hosted on Twitter, a social media platform. Following the discussion a thematic analysis of the posted Tweets was conducted. Findings One hundred and nineteen people posted nine hundred and ninety six Tweets, a reach of 3,306,368. Tweets broadly followed the questions posted by the team. Several threads related to the sustainable use of healthcare resources and the need to reduce waste was evident. A Word Cloud of the Tweets highlighted prominent words in the discussion: sustainability, nursing/nurses, curriculum, important, waste, practice, resources, student, plastic, health, gloves. Conclusion Social media is an effective way of engaging nurses and students in a discussion on challenging issues. Sustainability appears to be important for nurses, with a particular emphasis on resource use and the importance of sustainability topics in nurse education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lowe G., Plummer V., O'Brien A.P. & Boyd L. (2012) Time to clarify - the value of advanced practice nursing roles in health care. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(3), 677-685. Abstract Aim. This article presents a discussion of the importance of providing meaningful advanced practice nursing role definition and clarity to improve international standards of nursing titles and scopes of practice. Background. A plethora of international literature exists discussing advanced practice nursing roles and their contribution to healthcare delivery in various countries. However, lack of consistency around title, role definition and scope of practice remains. Data sources. CINAHL and Medline databases were searched using 'nurse practitioner', 'nurse practitioner role', 'nurse practitioner practice', 'nurse practitioner in public health', 'advanced practice nursing roles' and 'development of new nursing roles' with articles limited to years 1995-2010. Citations used in those articles were also explored. All cited articles were in the English language. Discussion. This article supports the need to strengthen the Nurse Practitioner role in health care and professional clarity is identified as a strategy to enhance this. Themes around role clarity, professional identity, ability to enhance healthcare provision and inter-professional issues are examined. The need to more clearly articulate advanced nursing roles in light of the evolution of the Nurse Practitioner role is highlighted. Much work has already occurred in this domain and a means of adapting and broadening these developments for a wider, more global audience whilst maintaining local context is discussed. Conclusion. Although evidence exists that advanced practice nursing roles are increasing internationally, uncertainty around role clarity remains. This is problematic because the valuable contribution of nursing roles is lost, if the ability to clearly express their function does not exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although nurses are often uneasy about following industrial strategies, particularly strikes, such strategies can enhance nursing practice and protect the nurses' role in employment relationships. Bitt to what extent can nurses actually include professional goals in their collective agreements? The following report of an exploratory survey of the professional outcomes of collective bargaining by nurses in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom provides baseline data for progress in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]