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Background: Employer skill requirements of graduates are monitored by Graduate Careers Australia, but health services management (HSM) specific employability skills (ES) perceived by graduates to be important on the job and their perceptions of skills they need to improve are not well reported. Academics need this feedback to improve course employment outcomes by helping current students identify and articulate appropriate competencies to potential employers. Also teaching of industry requirements can help improve job matching for employers. Method: Recent graduates working in HSM in New South Wales, Australia were surveyed to rate ES for importance and rate their own skill levels on the same items. The gap between these two ratings was identified for 44 ES. Results: ES important to recent graduates in rank order were: verbal communication skills, integrity and ethical conduct, time management, teamwork, priority setting, ability to work independently, organisational skills, written communication, being flexible and open minded and networking. Highest self-ratings were found for integrity and ethical conduct, ability towork independently, being flexible and open minded, tertiary qualifications, interpersonal skills, written communication skills, time management, life-long learning, priority setting and administration skills. Generally graduates rated their skills lower than their ratings of importance. Conclusions: Recent graduates can provide valuable feedback to universities about ES required for HSM positions and identify their own skill gaps for development at work or through study. Generic skills rather than job-specific skills are what they rate as most important. Closer engagement of universities and employers is recommended especially through placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the benefits and challenges of a mentoring programme through which retired and senior nurses continued to support and nurture nurses and midwives currently working in the health system. Nursing has an ageing workforce and faces significant loss of expertise because of retirements. Previously, mentoring programmes have been instituted in a range of nursing contexts and they have been a retention strategy for older nurses and midwives. Mentors and their mentees worked together towards mutually agreed on professional and personal goals. They were asked to meet or speak together a minimum of twice per month for at least six months. As part of a collective case study, 15 mentoring dyads were established. Participants and mentors took part in qualitative, semi-structured interviews about their perceptions and experiences of the mentoring programme. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed thematically. Mentors reported the mentoring experience to be rewarding experience that enabled them to re-connect with nursing-related activities and brought new challenges in retirement. They perceived the mentees were visibly helped by their support and influence. The mentors studied reinforced a positive self-concept as nurses and midwives in their mentees and assisted their development. Retired nurses and midwives in particular may have several characteristics that make them effective mentors. Potential benefits are demonstrated for nurses and midwives vulnerable to workplace adversity, especially those new to Australia who may have limited professional and social networks. For health organisations, mentoring programmes may be an innovative method of retention that engages both mid-career nurses and midwives and those recently retired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

elmir r., schmied v., wilkes l. & jackson d. (2010) Women’s perceptions and experiences of a traumatic birth: a meta-ethnography. Journal of Advanced Nursing 66(10), 2142–2153. Aim. This study presents the findings a meta-ethnographic study reporting women’s perceptions and experiences of traumatic birth. Background. Childbirth is viewed by many as a life transition that can bring a sense of accomplishment. However, for some women, birth is experienced as a traumatic event with a minority experiencing post-traumatic stress. A traumatic birth experience can have a significant impact on the physical and emotional well-being of a woman, her infant and family. Data source. The CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus and PubMed databases were searched for the period January 1994 to October 2009 using the keywords birth trauma, traumatic birth, qualitative research, birth narrative and birth stories. Review methods. A meta-ethnographic approach was used. Quality appraisal was carried out. An index paper served as a guide in identifying particular findings and comparing them with other findings. This ‘reciprocal translation’ process started with a search for common themes, phrases and metaphors. Results. Ten qualitative studies were included in the final sample. Six major themes were identified: ‘feeling invisible and out of control’, ‘to be treated humanely’, ‘feeling trapped: the reoccurring nightmare of my childbirth experience’, ‘a rollercoaster of emotions’, ‘disrupted relationships’ and ‘strength of purpose: a way to succeed as a mother’. Conclusions. It is evident that a small percentage of women experience a traumatic birth. Although some women who experience a traumatic birth do not necessarily have physical or psychological adverse outcomes, others identify a significant personal impact. Healthcare professionals must recognize women’s need to be involved in decision-making and to be fully informed about all aspects of their labour and birth to increase their sense of control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence against nurses is an on-going issue in healthcare settings, and is regularly documented in the literature. Assessing the potential for violence against nurses in the emergency department is essential to maintain their safety. The aim of this study was to develop a violence assessment tool by refining a list of predictive cues identified from both a previous study and existing literature. Using the Delphi technique, a panel of 1 1 expert nurse academics and clinicians developed a 37-item questionnaire and used three rounds of Delphi to refine the violence assessment questionnaire. The resulting tool comprises 17 cues of potential violence that can be easily observed and requires no prior knowledge of the perpetrators' medical history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an extensive literature review that focuses on family members' experiences of placing an older relative into residential care. Specific issues in the literature associated with the decision-making process, including the decision to place a relative into a nursing home, are discussed.The search for a nursing home through to relocation of a relative into the facility and family members' emotional journeys through the entire relocation process are described. Placing a relative into a nursing home is a complex issue with family members being vulnerable after placement and often experiencing distress, loneliness, guilt and role confusion with unrelenting doubts about the placement decision and concern for their relatives' well being. There is a clear need to pursue this research topic in the Australian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim This paper reports a case study of nursing practice model redesign in a surgical ward at a large metropolitan acute care hospital in Sydney, Australia. Background Literature suggests that factors such as financial restraints and shortage of nurses necessitate redesign of nursing care. Method A descriptive case study design was used. The nursing practice model was changed from a patient allocation model to a team-nursing model and a new role of Clinical Activities Coordinator was introduced. Results This study has confirmed that people need to be able to empower themselves to ensure an effective change process. It was also apparent in the case study that the staff were resistant to the redesign. Conclusions Change is a difficult process, which needs to involve all stakeholders. The planning process needs to consider the characteristics of the context such as workload and skill required, and the measures such as patient and staff satisfaction and health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marie Hutchinson, Lesley Wilkes, Margaret Vickers and Debra Jackson describe an Australian study of bullying that provides a putative model for further testing in nursing and other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent wave of immigrants to Australia includes people from countries where female genital mutilation (FGM) is predominant. FGM is the terminology used by the World Health Organisation to describe all procedures involving partial or total removal of female external genitalia. A review of the literature has found that FGM still exists and the influx of immigrants to Western countries such as Australia has seen more women in these countries with the physical and psychological after-effects of the procedure. Findings of this literature review highlight the need for heightened awareness of issues around FGM so as to better provide adequate physical and psychological support to women affected by FGM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study aimed to identify and describe the relatives' and staff's perceptions of environmental change on residents with dementia. Data were collected from audio-taped relative and staff focus group interviews at an aged care facility in Western Sydney. The transcribed data from the focus groups were thematically analysed and categorized. Three major categories emerged from the analysed data: the special care unit as a family home, therapeutic environment and work environment. Relatives and staff identified that the overall design of the unit impacted on the residents' functioning and quality of life, sense of freedom, level of agitation, sleeping patterns and weight. Relatives reported that the environment was conducive to visiting and to children, and staff reported that the working environment was improved because of its layout and equipment. This study has shown that special care units can make a difference to the quality of life of residents and improve conditions for relatives and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overweight and obesity in children is a major and ongoing public health concern and the negative physical, social, and psychological sequelae of childhood obesity are well documented. Parents, particularly mothers, are implicated in discourses around childhood obesity; however, little is known about women's experiences of mothering an overweight or obese child. This article reports findings from a narrative-based study that sought to develop understandings into women's experiences of mothering an overweight or obese child. The findings provide insights into the experiences of mothering an overweight or obese child, and reveals how the climate of blame associated with mothering an overweight or obese child complicated the mothering experience for the women in this study. These insights can assist health, welfare and child care workers to understand the importance of establishing supportive and no-blame relationships with mothers of obese and overweight children, in order to develop supportive therapeutic alliances better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports an evaluation of the Aunties and Uncles Co-operative Family Project Ltd, founded 30 years ago, that connects community volunteers (aunts and uncles) with disadvantaged children in the Sydney area, New South Wales, Australia. A postal survey was used which included both open and closed questions regarding the volunteer aunts, uncles, parents, coordinators, nieces and nephews' satisfaction with the project. Demographic data was also collected. Responses from the survey were statistically analysed using SPSS software. Responses to the open ended questions were transcribed and coded. The findings from the study indicated that the experiences were positive for all stakeholders with volunteers and coordinators finding the project personally rewarding and parents receiving respite and support. The children enjoyed new experiences by going to different places and undertaking activities. Recommendations include increased volunteer training and guidelines for difficult situations, increased support for coordinators and more structured activities for all participants. The findings indicate the reciprocal benefits to all participants. These significant benefits reflect the philosophy of the Aunties & Uncles Co-operative Family Project Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-depth interviews with nurses who have been bullied depict bullies masking their bullying behavior behind the cloak of legitimate organizational processes, resulting in extensive harm to targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIMS: This paper draws on the literature to explore some of the issues of concern to nurses undertaking fieldwork in contemporary healthcare settings. BACKGROUND: The emergence of poststructuralist and postmodern perspectives has raised questions about ethnographic approaches, and problematized the role of researchers in the construction of plausible and credible ethnographic accounts. As a practice discipline, nursing needs to negotiate a thorny path between methodological purity and practical application, with nurse researchers required to take account of both philosophical and pragmatic concerns. DISCUSSION: There is general agreement that researching with an individual or group rather than researching on an individual or group is the more effective way to approach fieldwork. Feminist writers appear to have dealt with this issue best, advocating intimacy, self-disclosure, and reciprocity in encounters with research participants. The duality of the nurse researcher role; power and politics and the moral implications of fieldwork are acknowledged as factors influencing nurses in the planning and conduct of fieldwork. Nurses as researchers may be better equipped than other social researchers to deal with contingencies in the field. CONCLUSIONS: Laying the epistemological ground for the participant observer role during fieldwork and understanding its impact on the resultant ethnographic account is essential to methodological rigour in field research. Consideration of some of the practicalities and predicaments experienced by nurses as researchers when conducting fieldwork prior to going out into the field is an important research strategy and will facilitate methodological potency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to judge the appropriateness of a particular nurse researcher's actions in a vignette from the clinical field, and to explore frameworks used to deter-mine the appropriateness of actions. Twelve experienced nurse researchers were interviewed by telephone. They were given four vignettes of actual research situations and asked to comment and explain their judgement on the appropriateness of the nurse researcher's actions. The findings confirmed blurring of boundaries between professional and research roles for nurses. Nurses appear to use a mixture of frameworks, including scientific/rigour method, ethics, nursing competencies and their own personal-moral values. Frameworks need to be discussed and debated so that neophyte researchers are well-prepared before they enter the field to conduct research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIMS: To analyse the research published in refereed nursing journals by Australian authors from 1995 to 2000. BACKGROUND: Analysis of the research topics and types of methodologies used by Australian nurse researchers has not been recently undertaken. The study was similar to an analysis of United Kingdom (UK) nursing research between 1988 and 1995 to allow comparison between the two countries. DESIGN: A quantitative approach analysed the research abstracts for the topic researched, source of data, location of data collection, paradigm and methodology used and funding source. RESULTS: A total of 509 articles from 11 generalist Australian and UK nursing journals were analysed. The highest numbers of articles were published in Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing and Journal of Advanced Nursing. The most popular topics were education of nurses (18.7%, n=95) and practice issues relating to patient care (15.3%, n=78). However, scant attention was paid to major Australian health issues. Most research was undertaken in the hospital setting (55.8%, n=247). Data were most often drawn from nurses themselves (40.7%, n=206), followed by patients (25.5%, n=129). Both quantitative (41%, n=203) and qualitative approaches (47%, n=230) were employed. A minority of studies acknowledged any funding (14.9%, n=76). CONCLUSIONS: Research findings need to be applied in practice to improve patient care. Nurse researchers need to publish their findings and align their research interests to meet national health priorities. They need to be involved in setting these health priorities to ensure that nursing has a place in health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research project was undertaken to describe how the support needs of women who have had treatment for breast cancer were being met in New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected from both the women and the nurses who cared for them. The findings from the first part of the study examined the nurses' perceptions of the women's needs and how they as health professionals, fulfilled these needs. Analysis was both qualitative and quantitative. Seventy-eight nurses responded to a questionnaire and 15 were interviewed. The findings indicated that the nurses perceived information on disease process and physical aspects of the disease as essential to supporting the women with breast cancer. While they saw providing emotional support to the women as important the nurses themselves often lacked the time and skills to provide it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a study which investigated whether nurses from Eastern and Western cultures hold differing definitions of euthanasia and different perspectives of the effect their attitudes to euthanasia on professional relationships with patients and colleagues. The focus of the study was the lived experience of Chinese and Australian nurses working in palliative care. The results indicate that there were differences between these two groups in their definitions of euthanasia. Lived experience obtained from both groups revealed conflict with patients and colleagues, and a lack of opportunity to discuss the ethical issue of euthanasia in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]