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For the past decade nurse education has incorporated service user and carer perspectives into their programme and research agendas. Moving from rhetoric to the reality of embedding adult service user and carer knowledge into nurse education this paper discusses how this good practice was extended to young people under the age of 18. Globally, the mental health of young people is coming under the spotlight and based on this two "World Café" events focusing on young people and their mental well being were organised. Targeting a multi-agency audience the aim was to develop a partnership consortium, bringing together local organisations involved in promoting the mental well being of young people. This paper reports on the first World Café, led by two local young people's groups, 'Florescent Adolescent' and 'Vocal'. Following the presentations four important areas were identified (1) Inclusive rather than exclusive (2) Crystal ball gazing--young people's futures (3) A hole in the net--catching young people at the right time (4) Exposing the hidden agenda. The day resulted in three collaborative research proposals and the realisation that young people need opportunity to participate through utilising more innovative ways of engaging with the professional adult world., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The overall aim of the study was to develop a composite and comparative view of what factors enhance the learning experiences of student nurses whilst they are in clinical practice. The study involved students undertaking general nurse training programmes in nine Western European countries. The study focused on: (1) student nurse experiences of clinical learning environments, (2) the supervision provided by qualified nurses in clinical placements, and (3) the level of interaction between student and nurse teachers. The study utilised a validated theoretical model: the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher (CLES+T) evaluation scale. The evaluation scale has a number of sub-dimensions: Pedagogical atmosphere on the ward; Supervisory Relationships; the Leadership Style of Ward Managers; Premises of Nursing; and the Role of the Nurse Teacher. Data (N=1903) was collected from Cyprus, Belgium, England, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden using web-based questionnaire 2007-2008. The findings revealed that respondents were generally satisfied with their clinical placements. There was clear support for the mentorship approach; 57% of respondents had a successful mentorship experience although some 18% of respondents experienced unsuccessful supervision. The most satisfied students studied at a university college, and had at least a seven week clinical placement supported by individualised mentorship relationships. Learning to become a nurse is a multidimensional process that requires both significant time being spent working with patients and a supportive supervisory relationship., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Drawing upon post doctoral reflections of a shared methodology, the authors explore the use of bricolage as a way of better understanding the inter-related connections between theory, nursing practice and the felt experiences of service users. The origins of bricolage can be traced back to the work of Levi-Strauss, and Denzin and Lincoln's contribution to qualitative methodologies. Bricolage is a multifaceted approach to the research process. Differing epistemological positions and mixed methods of data collection are utilised to bring a richer understanding of human beings and the complexities of their lived experiences. For the bricoleur the object of inquiry, cannot be separated from its context, that is the language used to describe it, its historical situatedness and the social and cultural interpretations of its meaning as an entity in the world. The paper discusses the importance of being able to move beyond the notion of the research method being merely a procedure, to one that respects the complexities of the lived world.

This paper focuses on the role of the nurse teacher (NT) in supporting student nurse education in clinical practice. The paper draws on the outcomes of a study aimed at exploring student nurse experiences of the pedagogical relationship with NTs during their clinical placements. The participants (N=549) were student nurses studying on pre-registration nursing programmes in Finland. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation and ANOVA. The study showed that the core aspect of NTs work in clinical practice revolved around the relationship between student, mentor and NT. Higher levels of satisfaction were experienced in direct proportion to the number of meetings held between the student and NT. However, whilst the importance of this relationship has been reported elsewhere, an additional aspect of this relationship emerged in the data analysis. Those NT who facilitated good face to face contact also used other methods to enhance the relationship, particularly e-mail, virtual learning environment and texting. This outcome suggests that NT's interpersonal and communicative skills are as important as their clinical knowledge and skills in promoting effective learning in the clinical practice area. The paper argues for such approaches to be utilised within the emergent opportunities afforded by new communication and educational technologies.

The sustained modernisation of the UK primary health care service has resulted in individuals and organisations having to develop more integrated ways of working. This has resulted in changes to the structure and functioning of primary care organisations, changes to the traditional workforce, and an increase in scope of primary care practice. These changes have contributed to what for many staff has become a constantly turbulent organisational and practice environment. Data from a three-year project, commissioned by the North West Development Agency is used to explore how staff involved in these changes dealt with this turbulence. Three hundred and fifty staff working within primary care participated in the study. A multimethods approach was used which facilitated an iterative analysis and data collection process. Thematic analysis revealed a high degree of congruence between the perceptions of all staff groups with evidence of a generally well-articulated, but often rhetorical view of the organisational and professional factors involved in how these changes were experienced. This rhetoric was used by individuals as a way of containing both the good and bad elements of their experience. This paper discusses how these defense mechanisms need to be recognised and understood by managers so that a more supportive organisational culture is developed.

This discussion paper draws on a review of the literature to explore factors that might promote or inhibit healthier nursing practice. The term healthier nursing practice, used here, refers to the way commitment to health promoting practices at organisational, professional and personal levels is demonstrated and achieved. Health promotion is a holistic concept that calls for the creation of empowered relationships between self, others, and the environment to improve wellness. Nurses have often struggled to achieve this within their patient encounters and even more so within their own personal and professional life experiences. Two factors were identified in the literature review that appear to significantly impact on this situation, the organisational environment within which nurses practice and their educational exposure to health promoting opportunities. There are a number of parallel processes identified that illustrate the difficulties nurses have in their experiences of working with patients and with themselves in promoting healthier lives. Action learning is advocated as an effective way for nurses to address what are sometimes perceived as being insurmountable barriers to developing health promoting opportunities for patients and the individual nurse.

The aim of this study was to test a research instrument in a comparative analysis of the experiences of Finnish and English student nurses working in clinical settings. Changes in the organization of nurse education have resulted in a number of changes to the provision of nurse education in both countries, particularly in the areas of clinical teaching and the development of a more 'academic' role for nurse teachers. The data (n=558) were collected from four nursing colleges in Finland (n=416) and two universities in the UK (n=142). All respondents were undertaking clinical placements in a wide variety of clinical specialties. The research instrument used in this study was the Clinical Learning Environment and Supervision (CLES) scale. It consists of background variables and 27 statements that evaluate the learning environment and the supervisory relationship. Data were statistically analyzed, with differences between the groups analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and cross-tabulated. The instrument (CLES) used in this study was able to indicate the differences between the groups. Finnish students evaluated their clinical placements and supervision more positively than students in the UK. There were no significant differences in how students worked with their mentors but the frequency of nurse teacher/student meetings was much higher within the Finnish sample. The difference is statistically highly significant., (Copyright 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.)

Globally, health care is moving towards a primary care approach. In the UK initiatives for nurses wishing to gain experience in primary and community care may be crucial with the advent of Primary Care Groups (PCGs) and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). This paper outlines an initiative in practice nursing, developed as a pilot study by a Health Authority. The training practice initiative was aimed at nurses returning to practice and offered them an experiential and supportive career pathway into primary care. The evaluation (carried out over 1 year), highlighted that those primarily involved in the initiative--the trainees, educators and general practitioners--felt it had been successful, especially in relation to professional development issues. The funding bodies for the initiative, who previously had concerns over the recruitment and retention of practice nurses, were also optimistic that the support networks which developed as a result of the initiative had raised morale. The paper suggests several educational, organizational and professional issues which arose from the evaluation exercise. Further, it suggests how this initiative, in an extended form, could provide an effective basis for the training and development of nursing staff in PCGs/PCTs., (Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.)