The special needs of children

British literature related to the care of children in hospital states that they have 'special needs' This concept is not defined, neither are different writers in total agreement about what these needs may be This paper attempts to define needs, concluding that they are'requirements that should be met'Children are seen as dynamic beings because they are in a state of constant development, both physically and psychosocially It is this state of development that makes their needs special to them They have special requirements, which should be met in specific ways Through the presentation of indicators of behaviours which would enable such needs to be met, it can be demonstrated that children should be cared for by people with the appropriate knowledge and understanding When children are admitted to hospital there may be a number of different people involved in determining how a need should be met An important part of this process should be nurses who have been specially educated for work with this age group     

An analysis of the concept of humour and its application to one aspect of children's nursing

This paper explores the concept of humour by exposing it to the analytical framework of Walker and Avant The paper then seeks to examine the benefit humour has in child and parent health education Whilst the author argues that the framework utilized to analyse the concept is positivistic in nature, emphasis is given to the value of humour and the various meanings ascribed to it in the real world Humour was used consciously by seven registered children's nurses and one student nurse completing her final placement of the branch in children's nursing The aim being to reduce parental anxiety and enhance feelings of confidence and competence within the parental groups The findings of this small study indicated that whilst humour is delicate and may be inappropriate in certain settings it appears to have a positive correlation with information giving and reduced anxiety levels amongst parents of hospitalized children when used appropriately The analytical components of the concept were examined carefully and it appeared that the tool used to analyse the concept was successful in that the theoretical framework was directly related to practice, however, the framework also highlighted the delicate nature of the concept and the dangers of inappropriate use The paper argues, however, that humour does play a part in the delivery of skilled, sensitive and competent care and the need for nurse education to address this is paramount     

Gynaecological nursing: a compromising situation

Women's health has been a research concern since the growth of modern feminism, but few studies have examined the attitudes and opinions of nurses towards working with women patients. This exploratory study, using informal interviews with 30 gynaecology nurses, is a first attempt to fill this gap. The interviewees' attitudes and opinions revealed ambiguities and contradictions which led them both to identify with and distance themselves from their women patients and the doctors. It is suggested that gynaecological nurses occupy shifting positions in the status hierarchies of gender, nursing and medicine, and professional specialization. The way they define their role results from attempts to improve their status vis-à-vis others in these hierarchies, and to make compromises in order to evaluate their own status positively. Strategies are suggested for increasing their knowledge and skills based on the hypothesis that this would lead to greater clarity of role and job satisfaction, and a higher quality of patient care.     

Nursing practice an the law

Conclusion This brief tour of American law has demonstrated a little of the breadth and currency of legal liability actions which affect nursing. As health care changes and nursing roles change with it, so too will the nature of liability in this area. The American penchant for litigation is such that the chances of disentangling nurses from the continued onslaught of negligence litigation seem remote.     

Pre-registration diploma students: a quantitative study of entry characteristics and course outcomes

Nurse education has been transformed over the last decade and continuing change is likely. Nurse educators are responsible for meeting the quality assurance standards of local stakeholders and student retention and progress are important aspects of this process. As part of a monitoring exercise, an enquiry was set up to review pre-registration selection and recruitment strategies and to establish if there were any significant relationships between the characteristics of pre-registration diploma entrants and their academic achievement or completion rates. A multi-factorial tree-based technique was used for this purpose. This is one of the first British studies to consider both academic performance and completion rates for pre-registration diploma students. Four cohorts (N = 355) were studied. There was marked heterogeneity in student characteristics with a wide age distribution, a significant proportion of mature entrants with previous care experience, and considerable diversity in terms of education. Education and age were significant predictors of academic achievement: entrants with a minimum of two A levels and mature women with recent study experience did particularly well. Younger recruits with modest educational qualifications on entry performed less well in their assessments of theoretical knowledge. Younger students tended to leave more regularly, and well-qualified entrants showed a greater tendency to complete, although these relationships were not statistically significant. Multi-factorial analysis demonstrated that organisational and course characteristics have a conjoint influence on course outcomes. Although the study is concerned with Project 2000 in the United Kingdom, there are lessons to be drawn concerning the selection and support of non-traditional recruits into nursing.     

Meeting changing service need through role development: a case study for Band 4 assistant practitioners

thurgate c., macgregor j. & o'keefe h. (2010) Journal of Nursing Management  18, 654–661
Meeting changing service need through role development: a case study for Band 4 assistant practitioners Aim To debate the evolution of the Assistant Practitioner (AP) role and its impact on workforce development and Higher Education provision. Background The Band 4, AP, has been identified in England as a means for supporting Registered Nurses and enhancing patient care. However, the education and training of Band 4 AP requires new ways of partnership working between Trusts and Higher Education Institutions (HIEs) to ensure that programmes reflect employers needs and that the AP is fit for purpose. Method(s) This case study focuses on the first cohort of 13 students who were supported by a local NHS Trust to undertake a Foundation Degree (FD) in Health and Social Care (Adult Care). Results Issues include: supporting the clinical development for new roles, role boundaries, regulation of APs and supervision in training/education. Conclusion(s) There is a need for regulation and understanding of role boundaries, shared learning and development of new ways of working which HEIs need to consider in the next decade. Implications for nursing management Nurse managers need to consider skill mix and challenge established clinical roles. There is a need for FD students to be supernumerary and provided with effective support while undertaking work-based learning.     

Undergraduate nursing students’ experiences of practicing caring behaviours with standardised patients

Rationale

Undergraduate nursing students’ learning opportunities to practice caring behaviours to assure compassionate and competent nursing practice with standardised patients are few. Earlier studies primarily focused on practicing communication skills in relation to mental health or developing psychomotor skills while caring for a patient with a specific diagnosis.

Aim

The study aim was to describe undergraduate nursing students’ experiences of practicing caring behaviours with a standardised patient.

Method

A sample of forty-eight undergraduate nursing students in semester four at a school of nursing in southern Sweden, enrolled in a full-time, 5-week, on-campus elective caring behaviour course, were at the first and last week individually video-recorded during two caring behaviour simulations encountering a standardised patient. After observing each of their video-recordings, students completed written reflections focusing on their own compassionate and competent verbal and nonverbal caring behaviour. In total, 96 individual written reflections were analysed using qualitative content analysis to describe the experience.

Results

One main theme emerged: The challenge of being mindfully present in patient encounters. Four themes further described the experience: A challenging but realistic learning experience, learning the impact of nonverbal behaviour, recognising the complexity of verbal behaviour, and learning to be with the patient instead of only doing for the patient.

Conclusion

When caring is intertwined with visible and realistic nursing practice in simulations using standardised patients it facilitates undergraduate nursing students learning compassionate and competent caring behaviour. The learning experience opened the students’ eyes to the impact of practicing caring, recognising that being with is not the same as doing for the patient, and thus, how challenging it is to be mindfully present in patient encounters. Designing caring behaviour simulations with standardised patients is a feasible and efficacious educational learning didactic to facilitate students’ learning caring behaviour and enhancing patients’ experiences.