Abstract: Using nursing and associated literature, the relevance of nutrition in the care of children and families is highlighted in this article. The role of a nurse in providing nutrition advice and interventions is examined, in the context of social and economic pressures on the provision of a healthy diet. Relevant examples of the provision of such advice is provided, along with competencies required to achieve this in practice.

Abstract: This thesis presents an explorative study of the place of caring in bioethics. Through the examination of various sources of literature from the disciplines of nursing, feminist theory and ethics, and bioethics, a case is developed that argues for a valid respected place for caring, as an ethic of care in bioethical decision-making. The case is built by providing evidence to support the fundamental importance of caring to human life, health, relationships, and survival at the broad societal level. This is presented from the feminist and nursing perspectives, along with a critique of the negative aspects of caring practices. The next stage of the case presents a layout of the discipline of bioethics, using an historical perspective to illuminate the influences of bioethics' deep past, as it still affects the discipline in the present. The development of contemporary bioethics' current status is presented along with critiques from bioethicists themselves, and nursing and feminist theory and ethics. In the case at this point, from a bioethical perspective, two major predicaments appear to prevent an ethic of care obtaining a valid place in ethical decision-making in bioethics. These are the justice/care duality, and the conflict between different conceptions of care and autonomy. The bioethical objections and arguments put forward regarding these predicaments are examined and refuted, and the author suggests a case is established for the inclusion of an ethic of care in bioethical decision-making.

Abstract: This thesis explores three Muslim women's experience of childbirth, in a setting surrounded by health professionals who largely have little understanding of their culture. Various forms of narrative such as a letter, excerpts from conversations, and interviews, have been used in presenting this research. The women's stories reveal that giving birth in a cross-cultural setting is stressful. The women had to adjust to an environment which challenged their beliefs and values, in one case with no extended family or cultural support. This stress is long lasting as evidenced in the women's stories. Given the opportunity to tell their story, all the women highlighted both the positive and negative aspects of their birth experiences. This thesis identifies situations that heightened the vulnerability of the women, and highlights the uniqueness of each woman. It concludes by identifying recommendations and reading material for nurses and midwives in education or practice.

Abstract: This thesis explores the issues surrounding the elderly remaining in their own environment and why remaining 'at home' becomes so essential for them. There are many elderly people who have moved to residential care settings on the advice of others. The author explores the implications of such moves through the stories of several elderly persons, and her own experiences as a nurse working with the elderly in institutional care.

Abstract: This thesis contains a collection of stories gifted by four New Zealand Retrieval Team nurses who are experienced in the transport of patients. These nurses are commonly called flight nurses and they assist in the transport of patients via helicopter, fixed-wing aeroplane, large commercial aeroplanes and ambulances. While their practice is not exclusively in the helicopter there is an emphasis on this mode of transport in this thesis. Flight nursing is a scope of nursing practice where the use, and visibility, of nurses' stories is rare. The specific context of this research is positioned in one tertiary intensive care unit in New Zealand but it is anticipated that the stories from four flight nurses and the author's subsequent thoughts on them will resonate with flight nurses in other regions. The stories were collected using a storytelling methodology that has been informed by qualitative and feminist perspectives. The stories were either gathered and shaped using interview and transcription techniques with the storyteller and the researcher, or written by the storyteller. The thesis has been written as a narrative and chronicles the journey to the point of receiving the stories and the lines of inquiry in which they subsequently directed the author. The stories are central to this research and appear in their entirety. The reader is encouraged to create their own meaning from the stories. The stories themselves have several common threads, which are planning, communication, teamwork and the unexpected. The threads underpinning the stories are not unique to flight nursing practice and have been discussed in other scopes of practice. One area the author has chosen to explore in more depth is the impacts of technology, privacy, narrative pedagogy and disenfranchisement on the visibility of flight nurses' stories. The other area she has chosen for discussion is advanced and specialty nursing practice as it relates to flight nurses. As a result of this discussion she proposes her own view for advanced and specialty practice in flight nursing.

Abstract: This study using action research involving twelve registered nurses worked toward improving nursing care in an acute mental health in-patient service. Following focus groups with consumers, families, nurses, doctors, and allied health professionals, the action research group developed projects over eighteen months to improve continuity and consistency of nursing care. There was a subsequent restructuring of nursing service to better define leadership, accountability and to strengthen care delivery. The second half of the thesis involves a critical social analysis of the research data and produces a theory of mental health nursing which, the author suggests, has wide application in practice.

Abstract: This study has sought to quantify the attitudes of first-year medical, nursing and pharmacy students' towards interprofessional learning, at course commencement. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) (University of Liverpool, Department of Health Care Education), was administered to first-year medical, nursing and pharmacy students at the University of Auckland. Differences between the three groups were analysed. The majority of students reported positive attitudes towards shared learning. The benefits of shared learning, including the acquisition of teamworking skills, were seen to be beneficial to patient care and likely to enhance professional working relationships. However professional groups differed: nursing and pharmacy students indicated more strongly that an outcome of learning together would be more effective teamworking. Medical students were the least sure of their professional role, and considered that they required the acquisition of more knowledge and skills than nursing or pharmacy students.

Abstract: This research study examined the role of the public health nurse. Utilising community needs analysis method, 17 key informants and two focus groups were asked questions to determine perceptions of the public health nurse. Findings indicated that participants lacked knowledge regarding the role. Additional findings intimated that participants had difficulty in accessing public health nurse services and that 'knowing the system' was beneficial to receiving needed care. One of the major conclusions of this study was that many facets of care managed by public health nurses were invisible to the communities in which they work. Conclusions suggest that public health nurses need to enhance their service by improving accessibility to services and promoting their service in a more visible manner.