Abstract: The author examines how writing shapes her practice and how she nurses, her way of being and doing. She notes that “as human beings we cannot be broken into subsets, my personal and professional being inform each other, therefore you will find woven into the fabric of this paper my personal and professional becoming united by the dominant thread of nursing”. The paper is structured using the different phases of her career as a staff nurse, nurse practitioner and charge nurse. In each section she has linked the stories of children and young adults with reflections on her writing and how it has impacted her practice. She goes on to say that question and reflection are vital adjuncts to nurses' development as individual practitioners and to the profession. They facilitate journeying past the superficial into the deep of a relationship with patients and colleagues. She identifies a responsibility as nurses is to engage with the individual and help them find a space where they can regain a sense of hope and personal power. This paper follows the author's journey, leaving her with a clearer understanding of who she is and how she nurses.

Abstract: The author reviews the controversial treatment of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) which has re-emerged as a safe and effective treatment for major depressive disorders. She first addresses the popular conceptions of ECT, which are based on early misuse of the treatment when it was delivered unmodified, or forcefully and without anaesthetic. She then uses a case study to illustrate the benefits of ECT for catatonia and catatonic states. Diagnostic criteria for catatonia include motoric immobility, excessive motor activity, extreme negativism or mutism, peculiarities of voluntary movement, and echolalia or echopraxia. The treatment of a patient is detailed, and the role of the ECT nurse is outlined. The ECT nurse is a co-ordinator, an educator, liaises with other services and families, and is a point of contact about ECT within the mental health service generally and in the ECT unit in particular. The case study showed successful use of ECT. A series of eight ECT treatments were administered to the catatonic patient, after which he was discharged home with minor depression and showing signs of enjoying life once again.

Abstract: A workplace safety study of district nurses in New Zealand was conducted to explore personal safety experiences. A qualitative methodology informed by Critical Social Theory was employed. This paper details the findings and implications derived from data collected from six district nurses in two urban New Zealand health services who recalled incidents in which they felt their personal safety was compromised. Data were collected through individual interviews and a focus group discussion with the participants. Data analysis revealed two-fold risks to nurse safety; these were associated with client behaviour as well as risks embedded in the organisational structure. The findings suggest a number of practical issues involving basic security measures require urgent attention. The complex power relationships that shape the experience of nursing in a community impinged on the ability of the nurses in this study to confidently and safely fulfil their role. An organisational commitment to a culture of safety would help address the powerlessness experienced by district nurses.

Abstract: This thesis concerns the Professional Development Programme at Lakeland Health. In New Zealand, such programmes were introduced as a mechanism to openly recognise the clinical expertise of nurses. Clinical Career Pathways were introduced to nursing in North America in the 1970's at a time of nursing shortage. Prior to their inception, nurses wishing to develop their careers had to move to administration, management or education. The programmes recognised and rewarded expertise in practice. A qualitative, descriptive approach (using focus groups) was used with Registered Nurses to gather their perceptions of what helps nurses enroll in the Professional Development Programme. The ideas and insights of nine Registered Nurses were clustered around three main categories: The People (fear; being struck; motivation; feedback; peer support; ways of learning); the Programme (relevance; flexibility; Bachelor's Degrees; implementation; supporting information; fairness); the Place (time; regular and accessible; support from nurse leaders; management). These perceptions are discussed in more detail in the context of nursing at Lakeland Health and of Clinical Career Pathways in New Zealand. The findings are helpful for the evaluation and future development of the Professional Development at Lakeland Health. The research contributes to our understanding of what helps nurses enroll in a Clinical Career Pathway, and emphasises the importance of the People, the Programme and the Place.

Abstract: A paper intended to inform paediatric nurses and influence service policy and management, adapted from a presentation at an inservice education study day for nurses at Wellington Hospital. The paper grew out of the findings of a small research project undertaken by the author as part of nursing practice in a paediatric ward of Wellington Hospital. The observations of the stress in the experience of infants and parents and the ambiguities inherent in the relationships between parents and nurses were the basis for arguing for changes in nursing practice and ward management.

Abstract: Examines the issues facing the older nurse in NZ. Recruits two groups of Clinical/Charge Nurse Managers (CNM) in two District Health Boards (DHB) to interview about the issues confronting older nurses and the strategies they use to retain them.

Abstract: In this thesis the nursing roles in respect of tuberculosis in New Zealand from 1928 to 1966 are identified, and then examined by contextualising them in relation to the changing social, political, demographic, scientific and technological environments in which the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis took place. The history of the various institutions is described in order to show some of the circumstances that led to the evolution of the roles of dispensary nurse, district nurse, school nurse, public health nurse, sanatorium nurse, and hospital nurse. 1928 to 1966 covers a sufficiently long period of intensive activity and change in the detection, treatment and research of pulmonary tuberculosis in New Zealand, to enable comparisons between nursing roles to be made. It was found that nurses had an individualised approach to their work. This was defined by the physical environments within which they worked, whether it was a hospital, sanatorium, dispensary, school or in a patient's home. Also, the medical treatments advocated and implemented by the medical practitioners, the rules and regulations which governed the various work areas, and the availability of staff, funds, facilities and resources all had an impact upon how nurses were able to work and how their respective roles developed. In addition, some of the factors which contributed to nurses getting tuberculosis and the initiatives to improve the nurse's conditions of work are examined, because these had an impact on the performance of the nurse's work and evolution of her role. Apart from practical nursing care, nurses also had a role in the on-going inspection, monitoring, notification, emotional support of patients and families, morale boosting and education. Each role had these components. The differences were in the time and emphasis given to each.