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Objectives: Nursing history is replete with examples of heroic individuals acting courageously to meet the needs of vulnerable patients and communities. Heroism exemplifies the pinnacle of self-actualised behaviour. It fuels the plots of countless human stories, and enthrals and inspires people. Yet, heroism may be seen as an extreme behaviour that only exceptional individuals are capable of enacting, and may thus be seen as out of reach for ordinary nurses, and something that could be risky to teach and disseminate. An alternative view is that altruistic professions such as nursing are often regarded as being heroic by nature, and that nurses therefore need to be encouraged to understand, deepen and exercise their potential through a recognition of acts of heroism in nursing - whether these can be classed as exceptional or everyday acts of nursing heroism. The purpose of this article is to provide a thematic review of the literature on heroism in nursing, in order to understand how recent research in heroism science is being, or could be, applied to the nursing discipline. Heroism science is an emerging research area that is of interest to nursing leaders, educators and all those seeking to advance the social change agenda in healthcare., Review Methods: A literature review was undertaken in 2017 using CINAHL, PUBMED, Cochrane, Medline, and Google Scholar. The search was limited to papers that were peer reviewed, in English, and published in the last ten years., Results: Four books and 33 papers were identified., Conclusion: Gaining a clear understanding of what constitutes a hero and heroism is essential to applying heroism to nursing and to education of students so they are inspired to act courageously., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Nursing faces an uncertain future as technological developments, structural changes within health systems and rapidly evolving health needs create new and challenging possibilities. This article draws on the results of a qualitative study undertaken with a range of Queensland nurse leaders to explore their perceptions of these changes. The study re-surfaced, and allows for a re-examination of, four issues that have long created tension within nursing and which continue to have a negative impact on the profession as a whole. These are as follows: professionalisation; preparation of graduates; myths and narratives of nursing; and leadership. We provide a metaphor that imagines all of these tensions operating in dynamic interplay. The image is that of a Newton's Cradle - a model for energy and momentum. The metaphor allows one to see the wide context of changes affecting nursing and the significance of the interconnections. If tensions within nursing maintain their own integrity through containment, understanding and development, they remain in alignment, and energy is conserved rather than wasted or misdirected. It suggests that with increased awareness and attention paid to internal challenges, and by taking a broad-based approach to systemic improvements, nursing could become more effective, progressive and proactive in shaping its own future., (© 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Nursing educators engage in many practices and one of the most important is preceptorship. However, evidence underpinning preceptorship is scant. Indeed some critics suggest that the planning, delivery and evaluation of preceptorship programmes rarely involves the people they are designed to assist - namely students. This qualitative study, part of a larger phenomenology of the experience of students and new graduates, included the exploration and description of students' experiences of preceptorship. Thirteen undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing students aged 20-50 years participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were collected at three intervals; prior to commencing employment as graduate nurses, 1 and 6 months post-employment. Five key themes were revealed: confidence; friendship; being thrown in at the deep end; peer support; and lack of support. Application of the findings from this research may help to improve the preceptorship experience for future students and new graduates and to inform evidence-based preceptorship preparation.

Resilience is the positive adjustment to adversity. Nursing work is characterised by assisting patients and families to cope through varying types of adversity- accidents, illness, disasters and upheaval and also in encouraging and supporting people to adapt, recover and maintain wellbeing. Thus strategies to promote resilience need to be integral to nurses' daily practice. Adverse conditions are also commonly experienced by nurses themselves and this impacts negatively on attitude to work, stress and burnout and this affects the whole profession through ongoing shortages, and disengagement with the work still to be done by nursing in terms of research and practice development. This paper will discuss the meaning of resilience, how it has been researched and applied to health care and to nursing. It will suggest pro-active strategies that educators, researchers and clinical nurses can implement that work on building strength, focus and endurance in individuals, communities and the workplaces.

More nurses than doctors killed in the Holocaust but are little studied. In Nazi 'euthanasia' institutional patients, with others, were killed by nurses. A German film, Fog in August (2016), tells of a boy caught in Nazi 'euthanasia'. We piloted the film to increase knowledge about nurses in Nazi 'euthanasia'. In Australia, 21 participants (health professionals, community members) completed pre-and-post questionnaires testing levels of knowledge. Knowledge increased – median post-score (1.75) > pre-score (1.0), median of differences 0.5 (p = 0.001). This film effectively increased knowledge, and the study methods worked. We will develop a project to teach nurses about genocides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value of mentorship to professional development in nursing education has been consistently demonstrated in the literature. The benefits for mental health nursing are particularly noted for attracting nursing students and new graduates into this area of practice. The proliferation of online delivery of mental health nursing programs poses particular issues in providing mentorship to students. Despite changes to the mode of educational delivery, the mentorship literature primarily addresses face-to-face processes. The aim of this paper is to present a review of the literature pertaining to online mentorship. A literature search of the CinAHL, Medline, ProQuest and Google Scholar databases was undertaken to identify relevant literature. Hand searches of reference lists were also conducted. The findings demonstrate the paucity of literature addressing this topic. Evaluation of online mentorship programs are particularly scarce, small scale and usually conducted at one site only. Few descriptions of the content and structure are provided meaning that program development cannot benefit from existing knowledge and expertise. There is an urgent need for online mentorship accompanied by rigorous and systematic evaluation frameworks to maximize the benefits of mentorship to an online environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To investigate the impact of workplace factors on burnout in New Zealand registered nurses (RNs). Background: Nursing is characterised by chronic workplace stress. Research examining the role of workplace factors (ie practice environment and bullying) in shaping burnout is scarce. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 480 New Zealand RNs. Burnout was self-reported using the CBI, while practice environment and negative acts in the workplace were selfreported using PES-NWI, and NAQ-R respectively. The STROBE checklist was used for this paper. Results: For every point increase in PES-NWI, there was a decrease of 6.82, 12.62, and 9.86 points in personal burnout (PB), work-related burnout (WRB), and client-related burnout (CRB) respectively after controlling for demographic and job-related characteristics. For every point increase in NAQ-R, there was an increase of 0.47, 0.50, and 0.20 points in PB, WRB, and CRB respectively after controlling for sample characteristics. These two factors explained for 18.4 percent, 27.6 percent and 12.4 percent of the variation in PB, WRB and CRB respectively. The prevalence of high PB, WRB and CRB was 50.8 percent, 46.5 percent and 16.0 percent respectively. Conclusion: Workplace factors are associated with burnout in RNs. Health-care organisations and nurse leaders have a duty to provide safe and healthy workplaces that cultivate positive outcomes for nurses and patients. Future efforts to reduce workplace stress and burnout in nurses will need to include initiatives that reduce high workloads, provide greater job flexibility and autonomy, increase collaboration and reduce bullying and harassment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fog in August is a German film based on Robert Domes' historical novel of the same name. The film provides a fictionalized account of the institutionalization and eventual killing of children and adults labelled as a burden on the State and unworthy of life. On one level, this is a story of good versus evil, where innocent patients are manipulated by callous doctors and nurses. At a deeper level, however, it is possible to read the characters as more complex and such a reading gives an insight into the paradox of how a genocidal policy was able to be systematically implemented by health care professionals who had previously taken an oath to provide care to all people. Carl Jung argued that powerful stories, told across generations, contain mythical archetypes that help drive the plot and convey beliefs about humanity. The aims of this paper are to explore Jungian ideas within Fog in August that help the historical story it is based on resonate with viewers today, and demonstrate how the application of these insights can help health care professionals more fully understand morally distressing events and, as a result, support and improve the safety of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with dementia living in long-term care commonly experience loneliness and lack of meaningful activity. Memory Keeper is a prototype digital application that presents personalised prompts to stimulate reminiscences and meaningful engagement with formal and informal carers. A trial involving three persons with dementia in long-term care and seven family and staff members revealed no negative responses to the device or application. Family members said it was valuable in improving the quality of engagement and made visits more enjoyable. If practical and technical barriers can be overcome, Memory Keeper could become an innovative family engagement tool for dementia management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as the deliberate, self-inflicted damage of body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes not socially or culturally sanctioned. School nurses are often a first point of contact for young people experiencing mental health challenges, and yet they often report they lack knowledge and training to provide care for persons who engage in NSSI. In the second of two parts, this article offers a strategy for brief assessment of NSSI, as well as reflection on two case studies and how to offer support, ongoing care, and referral for treatment to youth who engage in self-injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as the deliberate, self-inflicted damage of body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes not socially or culturally sanctioned. School nurses are often a first point of contact for young people experiencing mental health challenges, and yet they often report they lack knowledge and training to provide care for persons who engage in NSSI. In the first of two parts, this article provides school nurses with a better understanding of NSSI and the distinctions between NSSI and suicidal behaviors, discusses the role of nurses' knowledge and attitudes on their ability to care for their patients' mental health needs, and discusses approaches for developing a respectful, empathic manner for working with and supporting youth who engage in self-injury. Part 2 will offer a strategy for brief assessment of NSSI and reflect on two case studies and their implications for school nursing practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the impact of workplace factors on psychological resilience in registered nurses. Background: Nursing is characterized by persistent workplace adversity. Psychological resilience has been postulated as a means to mitigate the effects of workplace adversity. There is little research that examines the role of workplace factors (i.e., practice environment and bullying) in shaping resilience. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was conducted among 480 registered New Zealand nurses. Psychological resilience was self‐reported using the CD‐RISC‐10, while practice environment and workplace bullying were self‐reported using PES‐NWI and NAQ‐R, respectively. Results: For every point increase in PES‐NWI and NAQ‐R, there was an increase of 2.84 points (95%CI = 1.79, 3.89; p‐value = <0.001) and a decrease of 0.07 points (95% CI = −0.12, −0.03; p‐value = 0.002) in resilience, after controlling for demographic and job‐related characteristics. These two factors explained for 12.6% of the variation in resilience. About 25.8% of registered nurses experienced bullying. Conclusion: Workplace factors are associated with psychological resilience in registered nurses. Implications for Nursing Management: Nurse managers are key to transforming health care work environments to promote positive outcomes for nurses, the organisation and patient outcomes. Future efforts to promote psychological resilience in registered nurses need to enhance the practice environment and reduce workplace bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public policy across the world is increasingly focusing on the role of mental health promotion in whole of health strategies. There is a growing evidence-base that mental health promotion, delivered by trained facilitators, is effective in promoting self-awareness and self-care to prevent the damaging effects of ongoing stress in one's life and to promote early detection of any possible emerging mental health problems. Within Australia, however, few clinicians or school staff are confident or trained in mental health promotion. Aims: This paper reports the results of a two-day training designed for facilitators of a mental health program for secondary-school students. The goal was to develop facilitators' knowledge and understanding of best practice in youth mental health promotion and to increase their confidence in delivering the program. Design: A mixed methods evaluation assessed the impact that a solution-focused training program had on participating facilitators. Methods: A questionnaire was created and included eight quantitative items and one open ended, qualitative question. Twenty-seven nurses and guidance officers from central Queensland were recruited via convenience sampling and data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results: The evaluation revealed that participants' perception of their ability to facilitate a youth mental health program significantly improved after completing the training. Qualitative data indicated that participants found the professional development experience to be valuable, provide useful and transferable skills, and believed it to be necessary for mental health promotion work. Conclusion: By providing detailed description of the program's content and processes, other mental health professionals may be inspired to further develop effective learning experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long of sociological interest, uniforms are a symbol of order, standardization, professionalism and trust. As cultural objects, they are studied from a range of perspectives to consider how organizational systems such as the military, schools, airlines and health services construct and reinforce identity and image. This article adopts a popular culture-focused approach to representations of the nursing uniform on screen in a range of films and television programmes and series. In doing so, it proposes that film representations promote an understanding of the nursing uniform in a number of ways. These include understanding the uniform as a marker of professional identity; signifier of stratification and power; signifier of gender and object of (sexual) desire; marker of professional incompetence; and fetish object. This analysis reveals how the representation of nurses and nursing on screen both intersects with the reality of nursing work and identity, and affects how nursing work and identity are understood. The argument engages with a range of relevant research, and adapts research from other disciplines, in the context of analysing popular cultural texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the impact of workplace factors on psychological distress in New Zealand registered nurses. Background: Nurses are often faced with challenging work environments, with long work hours, high patient ratios, and emotionally charged situations that cause stress. Despite the well-established links between the nurse work environment and well-being, there remains a gap in the literature around the role of workplace factors on psychological distress in nurses. Study design and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with registered nurses in New Zealand. Depression, anxiety, and stress were self-reported using the DASS-21, while difficult practice environments and negative workplace acts were self-reported using PES-NWI and NAQ-R. Descriptive and inferential statistics were undertaken using SPSS. STROBE guidelines were used to report the study. Results: 480 RNs completed the survey. On average, depression, anxiety, and stress scores were 6.08 (SD=7.06, Normal), 4.87 (SD=6.05, Normal), and 9.50 (SD=7.30, Normal), respectively. The Average PESNWI score was 2.70 (SD=0.54), while the average total NAQ-R score was 34.27 (SD=12.67). Depression, anxiety, and stress scores were positively associated with NAQ-R scores, and negatively associated with PES-NWI scores (p-values <0.05). PES-NWI score was negatively associated with NAQ-R score (p<0.05). PES-NWI and NAQ-R explained 28.8%, 15.6%, and 26.1% of the variation in depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly associated with intention to leave (p-values <0.05). Depression and anxiety were significantly associated with ethnicity (p-values <0.05). Age was negatively associated with anxiety and stress (p-values <0.05). Years employed as a nurse were also negatively associated with anxiety (p<0.05). Discussion: This study addresses a knowledge gap by demonstrating that workplace factors are associated with psychological distress in nurses. Conclusion: Psychological distress in nurses is significantly associated with the work environment and with intention to leave the profession. Given that most countries are facing nurse shortages and are actively recruiting nurses from diverse countries and ethnic backgrounds, targeted and individualised support needs to be provided to preserve nurses' mental health and subsequent retention in the workforce. Implications for research, policy, and practice: Healthcare providers must prioritise modifying the work environment to address the factors contributing to nurses' psychological distress. This includes providing culturally tailored mental health resources and support for nurses with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Future research should examine how organisational-level strategies can reduce psychological distress in nurses. What is already known about the topic? * Psychological distress is common in nurses. * Indicators of psychological distress include non-specific symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. * Psychological distress is associated with challenging working conditions. What this paper adds: * Vulnerable groups, such as nurses from specific ethnic backgrounds and less experience, report higher levels of psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression. * The quality of the practice environment is associated with psychological distress in registered nurses. * Negative acts in the workplace (i.e., bullying and harassment) are positively associated with psychological distress in registered nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Innovations in simulation in nursing and health care continue to be developed as creative and committed educators respond to challenges of providing pedagogically sound, engaging and effective learning experiences for large student cohorts. Time-pressed educators may find it difficult to network with others working in simulation-based learning, and thus, it is useful to provide summaries or snapshots to provide a brief overview of activities in various countries using simulation in a variety of ways. Method The purpose of this paper is to profile a diverse range of innovative, cost-effective, and tested simulation approaches that have been implemented in healthcare programs by nursing educators from a range of countries to spark creativity. Each strategy was designed to address contemporary and critical practice issues. Results They facilitate immersion in authentic clinical scenarios, increase students' awareness of cues in the environment that may compromise health and safety. Conclusion These snapshots of simulation prepare students for cultural or clinical realities that they may not routinely encounter because of the inherent restrictions associated with clinical placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within higher education it is ironic that experienced and novice researchers rarely take the opportunity to come together to share their research – whether these be to discuss findings, puzzles or developing projects. Within this paper, an innovative strategy building on these assumptions is described. It is entitled: ‘Pre-run, Re-run’ and is a learning community where specific processes are modelled by all to help build professional communication, collegial respect, and scholarship. Our evaluation showed that there is value in bringing together researchers especially when they have diverse profiles. Also, mixing experience with naivety, by inviting professors and junior staff to fraternize equally, offers the possibility for wide ranging discussion, as well as sharing a range of successful techniques, knowledge of the big picture and ways around obstacles that would otherwise be off-putting for novices. The less experienced perspective can equally be revitalizing because newcomers to scholarship often bring a fresh focus and enthusiasm and energy for practice. While this was a local innovation, which may not be generalizable to all settings, others hoping to bring together disciplines may benefit from utilizing the successful methods to build a productive, mixed research culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antipsychotic medication has long been one of the first-line interventions for people with serious mental illness, with outcomes including reductions in symptoms and relapse rates. More recently, however, questions have been raised about the efficacy of antipsychotic medications, especially in light of their side-effect profile. Such questions have implications for the nurses administering antipsychotic medications, particularly in relation to their knowledge of the antipsychotic medication, its efficacy, and side-effect profile. Also important is the education of nursing students about antipsychotic medications, their use, and management. The present study reports findings of research that explored current curriculum content concerning psychopharmacological treatment in Australian undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programmes. Using a survey design, the research examined the content and modes of delivery of this content to gauge how well students are prepared for administering antipsychotic medication to people with serious mental illness. Findings of the research suggested the need for improvement in preparing nursing students to administer antipsychotic medication, including indications, contraindications, as well as recognition and management of side-effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented that discussed about the nurses focus on to step up to improve child and adolescent mental health globally. It mentions about nurses who particularly located in community and primary care settings should focused on professional development and greater career opportunities and also highlights nurses trained in collaborative ways of working with families and young people.

An important way to advance the profession of nursing, to promote best practice and to improve the quality of nursing care, is for nurses to publish. A publication track record is necessary to gain competitive research funding, build knowledge, disseminate new insights and advance the profession. However, academics often experience obstacles in publishing ranging from a pervasive teaching culture, lack of confidence in writing, and lack of strategies to write more strategically. The benefits of writing retreats have been discussed within the nursing and other academic literature but the specifics about the method as well as the unplanned benefits have not been explored. More exploration and discussion is needed about factors assisting writers to complete papers and successfully publish. This paper discusses a novel intervention which aimed to seed the beginnings of a flourishing scholarly community at a regional Queensland University. The paper also presents qualitative and quantitative evaluation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Objectives To explore the perspectives of nursing directors in mental health in Queensland, Australia, regarding the skills and attributes of graduates of comprehensive nursing programme to provide an industry perspective and thus augment knowledge from theoretical and professional dimensions. Background There is a worldwide shortage of appropriately qualified nurses with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to work effectively in mental health services. Within Australia, this has been well documented since the introduction of comprehensive nursing education. The underrepresentation of mental health content in undergraduate curricula has been identified as the primary reason for nursing graduates not being adequately prepared for practice in this field. To date, this issue has primarily been addressed from the perspective of university academics, with the voice of industry relatively silent in the published literature. Design Qualitative exploratory. Method In-depth telephone interviews with Director of Nursing (Mental Health) in Queensland, Australia. Results The concerns of participants were expressed in six main themes: (1) foundational knowledge of mental health and disorders, (2) recovery-oriented skills, (3) physical as well as mental health skills, (4) therapeutic strategies, (5) resilience and self-development and (6) advanced knowledge and skills. Conclusions The education of comprehensive nursing education needs to be reviewed as a matter of priority to ensure graduates with the attributes required to provide high-quality care for consumers of mental health services. Relevance to clinical practice A skilled and knowledgeable workforce is an essential component of high-quality mental health services. Research highlighting the current deficits and issues is therefore of the highest priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aim to empower nursing students to understand that their actions can positively contribute to health care, and to develop professionals who humanize the health workforce. We have designed simulation learning experiences using process drama, Mask-Ed (KRS Simulation). Participants are engaged in a series of structured improvisations emphasizing collaborative discovery and idea development. With no external audience, educator and students are simultaneously actors, directors, technicians and audience. The process builds skills of engagement, empathy and problem solving. Action periods are followed by reflection periods, and participants link the fictional world of the drama and their everyday reality. Educators carefully design and act as masked characters, using realistic props to simulate a person with a health care need whose life story promotes student engagement with issues exacerbating negative health outcomes. Mask-Ed builds clinical skills while sensitizing students to concepts such as the body in nursing and how to think like a nurse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This paper reports an educational strategy designed to sensitise and empower students about the impact of media representations of nursing and midwifery on their public image. Background: Numerous studies continue to reveal that stories about nursing and midwifery presented in the mainstream media are often superficial, stereotypical and demeaning. Inaccurate portrayals of nursing damage our professional reputation with the public and potential consumers. It also sends the wrong message to future nursing students. Images are a powerful conductor of misinformation, suggesting to others that nurses are not important agents for social change. Methods: In 2012, a small team of academics designed a photography competition and judging process for undergraduate and postgraduate students of nursing and midwifery enrolled at a regional Australian university. Results: The winning entries were photographs of high quality and conveyed rich meaning. They provide an interesting and positive counterpoint to derogatory images often propagated by mainstream media. Conclusion: There is benefit in extending this project so that it: appeals to more students, builds leadership skills, leads to wider social change and benefits society. The intention is to develop the process of student engagement as an educational intervention, and explore experiences and outcomes with stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation in nursing is a flourishing area for nurse educators' practice. Defined as learning that amplifies, mimics or replaces real-life clinical situations, simulation aims to give students opportunity to reason through a clinical problem and make decisions, without the potential for harming actual patients. Educators in nursing are contributing to simulation learning in diverse and creative ways. Yet much of their craft is not being widely disseminated because educators are not always confident in publishing their work. This paper aims to stimulate creative development in simulation by providing short summaries, or snapshots, of diverse approaches that nurse educators are using. The objective is to inspire others to share other ideas in development or in practice that are improving learning for nursing students and practitioners, so that simulation scholarship is advanced. The snapshots presented range from approaches that: better support educators to attend to the whole process of simulation education, give students quick access to short skill-based videos, orientate students to the laboratory environment, harness the power of the group to develop documentation skills, use simulation to enrich lectures, develop multidisciplinary knowledge, and finally, which teach therapeutic communication with children in a fun and imaginative way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper reports on a survey of Australian Schools of Nursing that took place over an 8months period between 2007 and 2008. This study was implemented to extend understanding of effective teaching of nursing history, an area not previously researched in Australia. A critical interpretive method enabled us to problematise the issue, to highlight what was said about the importance of history teaching as well as ad hoc practices and barriers. The study found that participants value history of nursing teaching, but the crowded curriculum is erasing history’s place and potential. It revealed ideological tensions shaping and constraining history of nursing teaching. In Australia, the way nursing’s history is taught varies and teaching content, strategies and resources utilised are not evenly available. Pedagogical innovations are not effectively disseminated. Our recommendations for Australian Schools of Nursing that have more general applicability are: (1) Nursing curriculum needs to be developed from a set of principles and standards that define the attributes of the professional nurse, not in response to interest groups and (2) History of nursing pedagogy should be systematically developed and disseminated through a national virtual centre, linked to international centres, to enhance teachers’ understanding of the discipline area and to support their teaching practice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Australian Federal Government health agenda is advocating an extension of public health principles across all levels of the health sector. Since mental health nurses have long been proponents of public health and health promoting behaviours, an opportunity exists for this specialty of nursing to extend their influence and contribution within health. Solution focused nursing (SFN), a model that emerged from mental health practice, offers a framework to assist mental health nurses and leaders to more clearly practise public health principles within nursing and articulate that practice – for it is in the articulation of practice that nurses and nursing is made visible and valued. This paper aims to expand on and reiterate the SFN model, showing how it connects to public health principles and develops the mental health nurse's role – particularly in those clinical areas that require more than medical management and illness stabilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives. This paper provides an overview of nurses’ working conditions in Japan, exploring tensions between nurses’ rights to take leave from work to fulfil family and personal needs and their actual ability to take such leave. It also considers possible effects of being restricted from taking such leave. Background. Little has been written on the specific needs of nurses who are mothers in the Japanese work environment. Research has focussed on the effects of heavy, stressful workloads and long working hours leading to burnout, death from overwork and suicides in Japanese culture. However, research that considers unique cultural and female issues in Japan affecting nursing work has not been published. Method. Discursive. Conclusion. The paper shows that there are many overlapping, complex issues affecting nurses working in Japan and their needs need to be considered and addressed in order to promote a healthier work environment, as well as a more humanistic environment. Relevance to clinical practice. Workplace issues are relevant to recruitment and retention and better conditions are likely to improve hospital functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exploration of the ‘self’ is generally considered a fundamental and necessary place from which to commence practice as a mental health nurse. Self-awareness and attention to one's own feelings, thoughts, and experiences can contribute to the therapeutic use of self in effective provision of mental health nursing care. This purposeful use of self, inherent in the role of the mental health nurse, may also be seen as synchronous to the role of the qualitative researcher who seeks to uncover the meaning of others’ experiences. Autoethnography is a qualitative research method that connects the researcher's personal self to the broader cultural context. Evocative writing, where the writer shares personal stories on their experiences, is used to extend understanding of a particular social issue. This paper will argue how this emerging method in social science research is of particular relevance to mental health nursing research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper draws on experiences and insights gained by a group of psychiatric nurse practice development facilitators whilst working with consumers, carers, clinicians and managers in the context of a practice development programme in a large metropolitan psychiatric hospital. The paper describes how the practice development facilitators were able to adapt Miller's (Miller 1983; Rollnick and Miller 1995; Miller and Rollnick 2002) techniques of motivational interviewing, commonly used in drug and alcohol treatment services, to help motivate change in an aged care setting. The lessons embedded within this experience are that people do want change, and that sustained change requires ownership and support. Practice development facilitators can assist in this process though the use of principles and strategies of motivational interviewing, which include increasing awareness of the need for change, supporting self-efficacy and managing resistance to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: The ongoing difficulty in educating and sustaining an adequate nursing workforce in mental health settings has been identified throughout the world. Different strategies have been implemented internationally to deal with this situation. In Australia major streams in mental health nursing were introduced in some Australian universities to promote mental health nursing as a viable career choice for nursing students. Fourteen universities had implemented or planned to implement a major stream in mental health nursing. From a survey of these programs a lack of consistency in the structure and content of programs was evident. For most programs the intakes had been relatively small, although retention rates appeared promising. Objectives: To determine the extent majors in mental health nursing introduced in Australia have been sustained since their implementation. Design: Cross-sectional design. A survey instrument used in 2010 was readministered in 2013. Setting: Schools of Nursing in Australia where a major in mental health nursing had been implemented or planned. Participants: Subject and program coordinators. Methods: The survey was administered via email. Results: Of the 14 majors in mental health nursing originally proposed or implemented, only five were remaining, three had never commenced the program despite plans to do so and six programs once operating had now ceased. Numbers of students undertaking the program have tended to be small. Few modification changes in the structure and content in the majors since initial implementation were reported. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the major in mental health nursing has not been a successful or sustainable strategy, and therefore is unlikely to contribute positively to strengthening the mental health nursing workforce. The availability of sufficient graduate nurses with the interest and skills to pursue a career in mental health nursing is becoming urgent. The adequate resourcing of strategies to address this issue needs to be considered as a matter of priority. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Emergency department nurses are often required to assess and manage the needs of people who self-harm. A survey of 352 nurses working within 23 major public and 14 major private emergency departments in Queensland, Australia, investigated the extent to which formal and informal procedures are available and the extent to which these procedures guide how nurses respond to clients who present with deliberate self-harm. The Risk Assessment Questionnaire was developed and found that nurses are frequently called to respond to clients presenting because of deliberate self-harm, but most have no formal training in this area. In some services there is a lack of formal and comprehensive procedures for assessment and treatment. Where procedures do exist, significant therapeutic areas related to assessment are not explored with clients. These findings have implications for continuing professional development activities, nursing education programs and clinical practice procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]