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Nurse teacherhood is composed of many factors. It includes nurse teachers' tasks and different multidimensional roles and also nurse teachers' individual experiences of being a nurse teacher. Nurse teachers' experiences of nurse teacherhood depend on the meanings they give to the different factors. In other words, there are not only one but also several interpretations of what nurse teacherhood is. These interpretations affect what is important for each nurse teacher in their own nurse teacherhood and how satisfied they are with their profession. This paper is part of a larger study examining how Finnish nurse teachers experience their nurse teacherhood in polytechnics. The purpose of this paper was to describe nurse teacherhood during the years 2003 and 2004, when polytechnics and thus also nurse education were actively being developed in Finland. Nurse teachers (N = 34) were interviewed and the data were analysed using the grounded theory method. The categories describing nurse teacherhood were: process of change in the organisation, operating culture of the health care working community, professional self-esteem, focus of competence, relationship with students, the future in one's profession and requirements for staying in the profession. The core category was commitment to nurse teacherhood. Nurse teachers' individual experiences of the significance of the categories describing teacherhood were reflected by their level of commitment to teacherhood. Nurse teachers, whose commitment to nurse teacherhood was weak, were especially unsatisfied with changes related to their teacherhood. Nurse teachers' conceptions of their future as nurse teachers were significant in terms of the direction in which they were developing their own teacherhood. Some nurse teachers who were weakly committed to nurse teacherhood considered it unlikely that they would continue in the profession in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article by Arja Holopainen, Tuovi Hakulinen-Viitanen and Kerttu Tossavainen explains the five stages of the systematic review process and describes how this method was applied to an analysis of studies dealing with nurse 'teacherhood'. The authors argue that systematic review is an excellent method for summarising research knowledge and for highlighting evidence significant for nursing, nursing education and nursing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Russia, tobacco and alcohol use by adolescents are serious problems. In Finland, as in many other European countries, alcohol use is a growing concern. Aims: This study aimed to find out whether similar environmental factors predict adolescents' alcohol use among 15-year old adolescents in two politically and economically different cultures: in the Pitkäranta district in Russian Karelia and in eastern Finland. Methods: Research data gathered by self-administered questionnaires from the second North Karelia Youth Study and the Pitkäranta Youth Study were analysed. Path models using the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach were constructed to test whether similar path structures fit for boys and girls in both countries, and to test whether regression coefficients are similar between the cultures and by gender. Results: The results showed that alcohol use by family members and best friend is positively related to adolescents' alcohol use both directly and indirectly. The best friend's alcohol use was the most important predictor of adolescents' own alcohol use in every sub-sample. When indirect influences were also identified, the significance of parents' and siblings' alcohol use, in addition to alcohol use by the best friends, was strongly supported. Conclusions: The results highlighted the importance of the process of peer selection for adolescents' choices, and the importance of offering support to the parents and to the health personnel working with children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop a theoretical basis for the promotion of school staff's occupational well-being. The 'Content Model for the Promotion of School Community Staff's Occupational Well-being' describes the four aspects of the promotion of occupational well-being ('working conditions', 'worker and work', 'working community' and 'professional competence') as well as the functionality and structure of the model. The content model was examined empirically by means of a structural equation model. The project was developed with school staff and occupational health nurses and implemented in 2001-2004. The target group consisted of the staff of 12 comprehensive schools in Eastern Finland in 2002 (n = 211) and 2004 (n = 266). The data were collected using a 'well-being at your work index' questionnaire at both times. A structural equation model for the school staff's occupational well-being, i.e. the 'Occupational Well-being of School Staff Model' (baseline OWSS Model: Study I in the year 2002), was produced. The model was tested with the 2004 data. Based on this, the model was further developed into the final OWSS Model (Study II). The theoretical Content Model for the Promotion of School Community Staff's Occupational Well-being can be used as a framework for planning, implementing and evaluating school staff's occupational well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to assess whether similar environmental factors predict adolescents' smoking in two different cultures: in the Pitkäranta district in Russian Karelia and in eastern Finland. The data were gathered by self-administered questionnaires from ninth-grade students in 10 comprehensive schools in Pitkäranta (n = 385) and from age-matched students in 24 schools in eastern Finland (n = 2,098). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test whether similar path structures fit for boys and for girls in Pitkäranta and in eastern Finland, and to test whether regression coefficients were similar between the cultures by sex. Smoking by family members and best friends was positively related to adolescents' smoking both directly and indirectly. Environmental factors were similar predictors of smoking between the cultures for boys. For girls, different regression coefficients in Pitkäranta and in eastern Finland were found. Best friend's smoking was the most important predictor of adolescents' own smoking in every sub-sample. When indirect relationships were identified, the significance of parents' and siblings' smoking, in addition to smoking by best friends, was strongly supported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to analyze conversations between expectant families (N = 21) in Net Clinic, an Internet-based service designed for patients using public maternity care. The online conversations, shared opinions about experiences of pregnancy, and family life constituted the data for content analysis. The families developed a sense of virtual community, which gradually evolved into a real-life community, by discovering the similarity of their life situations and by giving parent-to-parent support for everyday life events. As a view of daily family life, Net Clinic offers maternity care professionals a deeper understanding of how to enhance safer pregnancy, birth, and growth of the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study was to find out what aspects of their parenthood parents revealed, and how they expressed their thoughts concerning maternity care services on an online communication forum. Background The 'Information Society' offers a growing variety of health services as part of public primary health care via the internet. Little is known about the contents produced online by pregnant families, and how they reflect on both family life and maternity care services. Methods The data for this study were obtained from online discussions between families (n=21) in Net Clinic, an internet- based service designed for public maternity care. The data included experiences of family life during pregnancy, childbirth and parenting, and was analysed by inductive content analysis. Results While maturing into parenthood, both women and men recognised the uniqueness of their new role and wanted to prepare for safe childbirth. Online communication in the home environment nourished new social networks among families who were expecting their first, second or third child. In addition, families reflected on maternity care services on the Net Clinic's communication forum. This provided realistic feedback to maternity care professionals. Conclusions Today, the relationship between clients and professionals is inevitably changing. More online services and advocacy are needed if families are to have access to online health services. The role of professionals is diversifying from being authorities to supporting and facilitating clients' individual self-care. Based on direct client feedback, the quality of maternity care can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes occupational health nurses' and school staff members' experiences of work ability maintenance carried out at schools and the development of ideas to promote the collaboration between occupational health care and school community and to enhance work ability maintenance. The data were collected in a baseline situation of an action research project to further plan and develop activities. The data were analysed by inductive content analysis. According to the results, school community staff members' work ability maintenance focused on the employee, the school community, school work and the working conditions as well as professional competence. The practical actions involved some individual and school-specific variation, focusing on actions to maintain individual and physical work ability. It seems that the collaboration between the school community and occupational health service for work ability maintenance took place at the individual level, but an obvious need for more structural collaboration emerged by several suggestions made by the participants (e.g. better information exchange between the school and occupational health care, improved collaboration between the school staff and the co-operative partners). The progress in collaboration may lead towards spontaneous collaboration, in which case both actors have the same target and work in a planned, continuous and natural way to ensure work ability maintenance in the school community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes how the potential sources of errors and error prevention in operating room (OR) teams are experienced by Finnish, American and British nurses. The data were collected by interviews and analysed using a qualitative content analysis. Results consisted of categories demanding teamwork practice, shared responsibility in teams and organized teamwork. The demanding practice category included fear of errors, turnover in teams, overtime work and emotional distress as potential factors leading to errors in OR teamwork. Shared responsibility emphasized how the familiar teams, safety control and formal documentation of errors prevented errors. At the organizational level, the prevention of errors required scheduling of work, good management, competency and a reasonable physical environment. In order to improve safety in OR teams, recognition should be given to the balance of error-making and learning from them. More effective ways in reporting incidents should be adopted and overall reporting systems should be developed in Finnish OR teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to describe an international student exchange programme as a context of learning intercultural competence in nursing. Twelve Finnish nursing students who had participated in an exchange programme in the United Kingdom participated. The data consisted of group interviews, learning documents, background questionnaires and research diary notes, and the method of inductive content analysis was used. Study abroad as a process of learning intercultural competence consisted of three ethno-categories: transition from one culture to another, adjustment to the difference and gaining intercultural sensitivity. The exchange programme as a context of learning intercultural competence was characterized by a problematic orientation phase, a study abroad phase that involved stressful but rewarding adjustment to the intercultural differences and an inadequate re-entry debriefing phase. In order for the international experience of nursing students to have an impact on their understanding of diversity, they need assistance in each phase of the programme. Particularly, the students need intercultural tutoring and mentoring to venture into encounters with local people, including direct client contacts, during their study abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of nursing students' operating room (OR) clinical practice is to gain experience of the perioperative nursing process and to develop skills related to the practice within OR teams in a variety of situations. However, it has previously been problematic to get enough practical experience within OR teams because of the general urgency, e.g. rapid turnover and flow of emergency cases, and preceptors' multiple responsibilities related to their simultaneous need to work as team members. This study describes how Finnish, British and American nursing students (n = 30) experienced learning about teamwork during their OR placement period. The critical incident technique was used for data collection, and data were analysed using a descriptive phenomenological method. Three types of teamwork emerged based on the students' perceptions: functional manifestation of OR teamwork, gaining OR team membership and technical orientation of OR teamwork. The findings are discussed in relation to OR practice, education and research on ways to improve teamwork while maintaining a satisfactory OR learning context and stimulating interest in perioperative nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European nursing has responded to the challenges of multicultural society by integrating student exchange programmes into nursing education since the 1990s. For students, these programmes provide opportunities to study in another EU member state and to develop intercultural competence as part of the training. The aim of this study was to describe the process of gaining intercultural competence among British undergraduate nursing students during their study abroad in Finland. Fifteen British students participated in this study. Data were obtained from interviews, observations, background questionnaires and research diary notes. The data were analysed with Spradley's developmental research sequence (DRS) method. Campinha-Bacotes' model of cultural competence was used as a framework of rendering the results. Students' intercultural desire, i.e. their effort to become interculturally competent, turned out to be the foundation of the entire process. Study abroad is an intensive experience, and therefore the preparation, the selection of exchange students, the design of the programme and intercultural tutoring warrant careful attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Student exchange has been used increasingly in nursing education throughout Europe as a method of learning intercultural sensitivity. In the host country, each foreign student is assigned a personal tutor to enhance learning. Aim. The aim of this study was to describe tutor-student relationships between Finnish nurse teachers and British exchange students from the tutors' perspective. Ethical issues. The researcher's close relationship with the study context and participants caused some ethical concerns, which will be discussed. Methods. The data consisted of tutorial session observations, research diary notes, group interviews and background questionnaires. They were analysed using Spradley's developmental research sequence method for ethnographic data. Findings. The tutoring relationship was pastoral and clinical rather than academic. The pastoral aspect of the relationship was essential in assisting the students to adjust to the stress of studying in a foreign country. On the other hand, tutors were unable to support all the students to overcome their culture shock. Tutors were uncertain about their role and did not integrate Finnish culture or practice into theory, but found their role pleasant. Conclusions. A dialogic tutor-student relationship is important for learning intercultural sensitivity. Tutoring strategies should be developed to assist students' adjustment to the differences in the host culture and to encourage their reflection on personal, experiential and scientific cultural knowledge during their study abroad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One-summer-old rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss ) were exposed to continuous hyperoxia (173 ± 24%) and three hyperoxic/normoxic treatments for 14 days. Hepatic glutathione status as the indicator of oxidative stress, as well as classical stress indicators such as hemoglobin, hematocrit and plasma cortisol levels, were measured during normoxic, constantly hyperoxic and the following episodically hyperoxic oxygen treatment regimes: 12 h hyperoxia:12 h normoxia (12 HYP:12 NOR), 24 HYP:24 NOR and 48 HYP:24 NOR. Constant hyperoxia tended to shrink erythrocytes, but the 12 HYP:12 NOR treatment increased the number of erythrocytes and thus enhanced the oxygen carrying capacity of blood. Similarly, a trend toward an elevation in plasma cortisol concentrations was detected in 12 HYP:12 NOR treatment group. The finding that elevated hepatic glutathione (GSH) levels (P < 0.01), indicative of enhanced potential of the liver tissue to resist oxidative stress, coincided with elevated cortisol levels might suggest that in the 12 HYP:12 NOR treatment physiological processes were recruited to increase oxygen carrying capacity in blood and to elevate protection against oxyradicals. However, none of the episodic hyperoxia treatments or continuous hyperoxia caused mortality or resulted in better growth. These data indicate that continuous hyperoxia (173 ± 24%) and hyperoxic-normoxic treatments may be applied in intensive culture of rainbow trout provided that fish have at least 24 h in normoxia prior to the next bout of hyperoxia. Shorter recovery periods, like in a 12 HYP:12 NOR treatment, may result in the increased need of oxygen in tissues followed by an activation of glutathione dependent defence system against an increased oxygen load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the role of public health nursing (PHN) in Finland. Factors affecting public health care work; Impact of health service structure changes on PHN; Responsibility of municipal health centers in providing public primary health care.

This study describes how ninth-grade adolescents' smoking behavior in the Pitkaranta district (Russia) differs from their eastern Finland counterparts. Cross-sectional data from the second North Karelia Youth Study and the Pitkaranta Youth Study were used. Subjects were all (n=385) ninth-grade students in 10 comprehensive schools in Pitkaranta and all (n=2098) students of the same age in 24 comprehensive schools in eastern Finland. Students were asked about their smoking status, intentions to smoke, smoking situations, acquisition of tobacco products, and opportunity to smoke in the school area. The results showed very large differences in the smoking prevalence between Pitkaranta and eastern Finland. For boys, the prevalence of daily smoking was 29% and 19% in Pitkaranta and eastern Finland, respectively. The differences in girls were adverse: 7% and 21% of girls in Pitkaranta and eastern Finland, respectively, were daily smokers. However, as many as one third of the nonsmoking girls in Pitkaranta stated that they may experiment or start smoking later. Boys in Pitkaranta had vaguer attitudes about remaining nonsmokers than boys in eastern Finland. This situation anticipates worsening of the smoking epidemic in Pitkaranta and requires an effective prevention policy and cooperation between different groups in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]