Abstract: The author traces the development of the nurse practitioner role in New Zealand, which was finally introduced in 2001. It traces the key events, from early debates on the issue, the influence of the Centre for Rural Health, and a series of government investigations into nursing which noted the untapped potential of the nursing workforce and the lack of ongoing clinical career pathways. Barriers to rural nurses becoming endorsed as primary health care nurse practitioners are examined, and some of the solutions to this issue are explored. Relationships between nurse practitioners and the local general practitioners, and community resistance are areas that need management. Education is seen as a key response to many of these issues.

Abstract: This dissertation explores the issues affecting the exposure of isolated rural nurses working in New Zealand to violence from members of the local community, including the visiting public. Discussion on the collaborative role with the New Zealand Police is thematic in the issues presented. Challenges presented include the unique community dynamics of the Stewart Island nursing practice on the Island, with scope of practice, isolation and practice issues included. Role definition, present-day health-care delivery, the potential for violence including causation and reporting are presented. Incident management and risk strategies, including de-escalation are rationalised and described. Evidence for the nurse-police inter-service relationship along with issues including confidentiality and legislation are reviewed. Recommendations and conclusion are provided. The thread and theme of the dissertation is to encourage discussion within nursing circles on the provision of satisfactory safety standards for nurses working in remote isolated parts of New Zealand.

Abstract: Based on qualitative research conducted in New Zealand and the Western Isles with rural primary care nurses and Family Health Nurses respectively, this thesis explores the ways that nurses construct flexible generalist professional identities that challenge traditional inter and intra-professional boundaries. Rhetoric of 'crisis' is often utilised to raise political awareness of the problematic, but in fact, rural general practitioner recruitment and retention has been documented for about a hundred years. For about the same length of time nurses have been providing primary health care services in rural and remote places, often working alone. In the New Zealand case, rural primary care nurses negotiate the boundaries between nursing and medicine, those within nursing itself, and also those between nursing a paramedic work. Nurses perform this boundary work by negotiating self-governing 'appropriate' and 'safe' professional identities. In the Western Isles case, the introduction of the newly developed role of Family Health Nurse serves to highlight the problematic nature of inserting an ostensibly generalist nursing role beyond the rural.

Abstract: Despite the widespread acceptance of the value of supervision among practitioners and the large quantity of literature on the topic, there is very little empirical evidence in relation to its effect on clinical practice. It is not clear whether supervision actually produces a change in clinician behaviour, or whether it produces benefits in terms of client outcomes. This thesis evaluates the impact of clinical supervision on five co-ordinators in a rural home care setting. It looks at the impact clinical supervision has on their practice and professional growth. The nurses all belong to one organisation, Access Homehealth Ltd. The study builds on the findings of a clinical supervision pilot, which was trialed within the organisation in 2002. The pilot examined which model of supervision was most beneficial for Access Homehealth staff. Clinical Supervision is defined as a designated interaction between two or more practitioners within a supportive environment, that enhances reflective practice and professionalism, which in turn contributes to improved practice and client outcomes. The methodology of this research was qualitative evaluation. The themes which emerged related to personal support, managing stress and alleviating feelings of isolation, reflection, enhancing practice, improved communication skills and the concept of clinical supervision as a safety net. Participants also revealed that one-on-one supervision appeared more helpful than group supervision, and that phone supervision facilitated in-depth dialogue. These findings are important, as they demonstrate it is feasible to simultaneously offer a number of formats of clinical supervision within one organisation, allowing for the organisation to provide what works best for different workers. They also show that clinical supervision is a valuable and useful support tool for home care co-ordinators in order to facilitate empowerment, reflection and growth in practice. Further research is needed to provide evidence of the benefits of supervision on improving client outcomes.