The development of nurses as managers: the prevalence of the self-development route

'In the middle': A qualitative study of talk about mental health nursing roles and work

Professional identities are important in defining workers' roles, and are concerned with attributes relating to those roles and how they are performed. Evidence shows mental health nurses undertake many different roles as part of their work. Yet, the roles of mental health nurses are insufficiently understood by healthcare staff, service users, and nurses themselves. Mental health nursing work has been deemed invisible and lacking in role clarity. Poor understandings about professional identity of mental health nurses result in difficulties recruiting to the profession, nurses lacking confidence articulating the value of their work, with misunderstandings apparent with service users about the specific role of mental health nursing in their care. The primary focus of this study, conducted in Wales, United Kingdom, was to examine how talk about mental health nursing was handled by participants from multiple perspectives. Data consisted of 17 individual interview transcripts with mental health nurses and 13 interview transcripts from mental health service users, and three focus groups with nursing students. Participants' talk was analysed using thematic analysis. This paper reports how participants described mental health nursing work to have significant role overlap with other multidisciplinary team members. Participants highlighted that mental health nurses often have an 'in the middle' label because the complexity of their work can be hard to describe. The implications are pertinent for nurses because if they are considered to be in a liminal position, they risk being perceived as neither one role nor another, resulting in nurses struggling with professional identities and role confidence.

How newly qualified mental health nurses perceive their role

This paper reports a follow-up study of 11 mental health nurses (MHNs) (from an original of 14) who were interviewed about their perception of the role of the MHN while they were still mental health student nurses (MHSNs). These participants perceived the MHN to perform a variety of roles, implementing ward administration, offering physical and psychological interventions, administering drugs and teaching. However, some MHNs were reported to function outside the boundary of professional practice in the form of alleged malpractice, non-involvement or negative approach to care. This study addresses the research question: 'how is the role of the MHN perceived after MHSNs have made the transition to MHN?'. The aim of the study is to examine whether nurses have changed the perception of their role having had 6-month post-registration experience. This information will inform the training of MHNs and identify possible problems with the way in which the function of the mental health nurse is organized. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 MHNs at least 6 months post registration. Transcripts were analysed using a qualitative approach based on grounded theory. Analysis of the interviews with post-registration MHNs produced four main themes: transition, role ambiguity, lack of support and a theory-practice gap. Our conclusion is that there was no drastic change to participants' pre- and post-registration perception in that the role of the MHN is ambiguous by virtue of their engagement in a variety of tasks. However, post-registration participants were more able to articulate rationales for their role vis-à-vis the practical realities of the clinical areas.

Knowledge is power: using nursing information management and leadership interventions to improve services to patients, clients and users

AIM

This paper examines the purpose, role and function of information and information management within health care today. It is set within the context of a specialist forensic learning disability setting.

BACKGROUND

Changes in politics, government legislation and reforms of the National Health Service (NHS) have created a need to equip managers with the necessary tools and skills to be able to lead and manage effectively. As such there has been a great emphasis upon specialist training, such as the government-driven Leading an Empowered Organisation courses, for nurse managers and nurses with leadership potential. Yet with the drive to generate a new wave culture within the NHS of inspirational leaders, are we still overlooking a critical and key area which is fundamental in achieving and delivering cost effective, quality health care--the area of information management within health care today?

METHODS

The processes presented in this paper are structured through a strategic nursing management and leadership performance implementation model, the Clinical Nursing Leadership Learning and Action Process (CLINLAP) model, which facilitates work-based learning and capability development in the reality of everyday clinical activities. Through the model, the emphasis is to make clinical goals specific, roles explicit, processes clear and encourage these activities to be carried out within an environment of open relationships.

RESULTS

The use of CLINLAP model assisted as a management and leadership technology to manage change in the workplace so as to improve services to patients in Yelday Lodge. Structured management and leadership interventions led to observable positive change in information management on Yelday Lodge.

CONCLUSIONS

The conclusion is that sustained quality information could be embedded in nursing practice at Yelday Lodge or elsewhere by evaluating and discussing the different information management approaches within the practice area through the use of structured management and leadership interventions. The use of the CLINLAP model is recommended for use as a model for managing information, knowledge and communication for results within nursing and health care services.

What’s behind RN turnover?

Examine the results of a qualitative study designed to enhance your understanding of RNs' perceptions of the factors prompting them to leave employment in acute care settings.

From caring to managing and beyond: an examination of the head nurse's role

AIM

The aim of this study was to depict the essence of what head nurses do, and how they perform their managerial role.

METHODS

To achieve this, the work behaviour of 48 head nurses was examined by a semi-structured observation technique for 6 hours each.

RESULTS

Results demonstrated that head nurses spent a large proportion of their time in clinical practice, followed by co-ordinating care, operating the unit's functions, and leading staff. Personnel management and quality improvement occupied only a marginal share of head nurses' time.

CONCLUSIONS

These results implied that head nurses exhibited a management style orientated to maintenance rather than to re-creation, focusing more on the 'doing' and the 'here and now' aspects of the job than on leading, planning, and proactive problem solving.