Developments in nursing in Ireland: the emergence of a disciplinary discourse

Intellectual disability nursing in Ireland: identifying its development and future

As a profession, intellectual disability nursing has often come under scrutiny and been called into question. Since its inception as an individual nursing profession in 1959 in Ireland, both education and service provision philosophies have changed over time. These changes have been in response to national and international reports and changing attitudes. The changes have led to the current position where intellectual disability nurse education in Ireland is a four-year undergraduate course. As the discipline of intellectual disability nursing is unique to Ireland and the United Kingdom, there is a responsibility on intellectual disability nurses to identify their unique identity and their responses to the demands of changing services. This article traces the development of intellectual disability nursing in Ireland and identifies implications for the future.

Writing fieldnotes in an ethnographic study of peers – collaborative experiences from the field

Abstract

Fieldnotes and their processes tend to be implicit endeavours in the nursing and midwifery literature. The opportunity, therefore, to build an understanding of the social practice of this part of the research process is lost. This paper explores fieldnote generation in an ethnographic doctoral study examining the building of research capacity. Ethnographers claim that data is generated collaboratively. In this study, data was collected from two fields of ‘peers’. First data set contained 50 h of observation with doctoral research fellows, and the second data set contained 2 years diary recording of a nurse working in a national research funding agency. The paper shows that the levels of collaboration in constructing the ethnographic data can depend on the field itself, the stance of the researcher and the willingness of peer participants.

Perceived barriers and facilitators to implementing research findings in the Irish practice setting

BACKGROUND

Studies have consistently demonstrated that nurses are increasingly recognizing the role research has to play in their daily practice. Despite this recognition the actual application of research findings in the practice setting is still poor. To date, the barriers to implementing research findings in the Republic of Ireland's practice setting have not been explored empirically. This study sought to address this gap.

AIMS

The aims of this study were to ascertain what Registered Nurses practising in the Republic of Ireland perceive as barriers to the implementation of research findings in the practice setting and to explore what they perceive would facilitate them in using research findings in their daily practice.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

METHODS

A non-probability strategy was employed with all Registered Nurses who commenced a nursing-focused academic course accredited by the University of Dublin, Trinity College, between September 2001 and February 2002 invited to participate. The ethical rights of the participants in terms of anonymity, privacy and informed consent were assured through a number of mechanisms. Data were collected via the Barriers scale.

FINDINGS

Eight of the top 10 ranked barriers were organization centred. The top barrier was a perception of insufficient authority to instigate change in the practice setting. The perceived key facilitators to implementing research findings included protected time for retrieval and evaluation of research findings, instrumental support from management, informed supportive personnel in the practice settings and accessible educational opportunities to augment critical reading skills.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

The Irish Government is committed to provide the people of Ireland with an evidence-based health service. From a nursing perspective the findings of this study indicate that a number of strategies have to be introduced or enhanced in the practice settings before this commitment can be realized.

Irish nursing students' changing levels of assertiveness during their pre-registration programme

BACKGROUND

Stress and bullying have been found to be common problems in a number of studies of Irish nursing and midwifery. Victims of bullying need high levels of assertiveness to enable them to withstand the stress of victimization. It was deemed important to measure nursing students' level of assertiveness prior to, and near completion of, their pre-registration education programme. Aim. To ascertain nursing students' perceived levels of assertiveness prior to, and nearing the completion of, their three-year pre-registration programme.

METHODS

Ethical approval was given. The students commencing general nurse education programmes in two schools in Southern Ireland agreed to take part (n=72). A questionnaire adapted from a number of assertiveness scales, and tested for validity and reliability in this population, was used to collect data.

RESULTS

In general, students' reported assertiveness levels rose as they approached completion of their three-year education programme.

DISCUSSION

The resource constrained health service of the 21st century requires nurses who are assertive to meet the needs of its users. Nursing students' assertiveness skills could be augmented through concentrated efforts from nurse educationalists and clinicians to reduce the communication theory practice gap in nurse education today. To address the multi-dimensional nature of assertiveness, strategies to increase assertiveness should operate at the individual, interface and organisational level.

CONCLUSIONS

The students in this study reported an increase in levels of assertiveness as they approached completion of their three-year education programme. To function as effective, safe practitioners registered nurses need to be assertive, therefore education in assertiveness should be an integral part of their preparation. The precise composition and mode of delivery of this education requires exploration and evaluation.