Abstract: This study was designed to explore the perceptions of Nurse Tutors, of their first two years following appointment to teaching positions, in a small regional Polytechnic . There was particular emphasis on factors they believed enhanced or impeded their performance, in the first two years of their employment.It was hoped the project would serve as a springboard for their development of support to assist Nursing Tutors during the first two years in their employment.The purpose of the study was not to examine the formal induction process, or the role of the staff development unit. Instead it aimed to focus on the experience of the Nursing Tutors within the Nursing school, and associated practicum teaching.An essentially qualitative approach was adopted. The aim being to discover patterns in the data from the research, and explore these themes with reference to relevant literature. Case study was chosen as the design framework for the study.Participants in the study were five Nurse Tutors who had joined the Polytechnic during the last two years and volunteered to participate in the study.Data was gathered by interview based on critical incidents, identified by participants. Themes identified from interview transcripts are discussed with reference to relevant literature. These themes indicated that tutors looked forward to their new role with anticipation, but that initial teaching experience was somewhat negative, and they did not feel well prepared. An important issue was congruency between the Nursing Curriculum (with focus on care), relationships with students and staff, and institutional constraints. The tutors coped with multiple demands, the three worlds of the Polytechnic , Health Care system and home (and for some degree study!). Participants were actively seeking strategies for successful teaching and able to reflect on aspects they wished to change. Although there were common elements , each participant demonstrated individual strengths and needs.The study concludes with suggestions for future action, including appropriate preparation prior to initial teaching, attention to initial workloads, exploration of buddying, discussion of what constitutes a safe, caring, learning and teaching environment and the relationship to the Nursing curriculum. It is suggested that collaborative sessions in order to share expertise in teaching and learning and/or action research may assist in support of new tutors (and ultimately benefit all staff)

Abstract: This thesis explores the process of an annual appraisal strategy, 'clinical conversation', from the perspective of seven nurses who were assessed using this technique. The findings demonstrate that clinical conversation is a strategy which facilitates reflection, both as a solitary exercise and with others, to ensure that learning from experience is optimised. The research used a qualitative interpretive approach informed by the model of Grounded Theory espoused by Strauss and Corbin. All eight nurses who were assessed using the clinical conversation strategy were advanced practitioners working within the scope of sexual and reproductive health. Two of the actual appraisals were observed and seven of the nurses were interviewed within eight weeks of being assessed. The outcome of the clinical conversation was primarily one of learning; the acquisition of new insights into self as practitioner. The learning was facilitated through the process of narration; telling the story of clinical practice. Three distinct narrative cycles were identified, each an experiential learning episode. The experience of undertaking a variety of assessment activities created a narrative with self and triggered an internal reflective thinking process; the experience of working with a peer created an additional narrative, a mutual dialogue reflecting back on practice; the experience of sharing practice with an assessor created a further and final narrative, a learning conversation. Each narrative can be seen as a catalyst for change. Primarily, the nurses felt differently about themselves in practice, the way they saw themselves had shifted. Such a change can be described as an alteration in perspective. These alterations in perspective led all nurses to identify ways in which they would change their actual clinical practice. In this way the nurses attempted to align their espoused beliefs about practice with their actual practice. The author notes that the study shows that each nurse responded differently to each narrative learning cycle: for some the conversation with the assessor was more of a catalyst for change than for others. In this way clinical conversation may be flexible enough to respond to a variety of differing learning styles. Learning was person specific which is an imperative for the continued professional development of already highly skilled clinicians. The implication of the research is that whilst clinical conversation was designed as a tool for appraising clinical competence, its intrinsic value lies in supporting the professional development of nurses.

Abstract: The original aim of the study was to find out through a questionnaire what child health/paediatric nurses in New Zealand/Aotearoa saw as their needs for post-registration education. Nurses were completing courses in the United Kingdom and returning to New Zealand/Aotearoa and realising that their nursing capabilities had improved. They became senior nurses with education responsibilities and exhibited political leadership among their colleagues in the field of child health/paediatric nursing. They were becoming increasingly concerned at the lack of any clinical courses in the specialty of child health/paediatric nursing to promote an appropriate standard of practice. It was intended that a research project about post-registration child health/paediatric education would assist concerned nurses to develop a programme. The time needed for such a project did not fit with a limited research paper. It was decided to reduce the project to a review of the literature on competence in nursing, with some comment on the specialty of child health/paediatric nursing. In order for nurses to find what they need to learn and know, an understanding of competence in nursing practice is required. Competence is defined as the ability of the nurse to carry out specific work in a designated area at a predetermined standard. Issues around competence, defining a scope of practice, development and assessment of competence, and regulation of nursing, are part of the context in which accountability for the practice of nurses sits.

Abstract: Participants for this study consisted of six Plunket Nurses from three Plunket operations areas within the North Island, varying in experiences from two to twenty three years, working with both urban and rural communities.

Abstract: Undertakes an evidence-based practice pilot project to examine the effectiveness of simulation-based learning in teaching nursing students to become aware of the role of stress, anxiety and distraction in medication errors. Stresses the importance of medication-error prevention at the pre-licensure level, by increasing awareness of patient safety culture. Notes the need to teach nursing students self-awareness of the distractions and stresses within the clinical environment and therefore the need for self-care to avoid medication error.