Search

In Australia, a national approach to the regulation of health practitioners and students has been established through the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act (2009; Qld) (the National Act). Whilst regulation of nursing and midwifery students under this new scheme is novel in most jurisdictions, students in South Australia have been registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of South Australia under the Nursing and Midwifery Practice Act 2008 (SA) (the State Act) since January 2010. Given the significant move to national registration of nursing and midwifery students, a mixed method study was initiated exploring South Australian nursing students' understanding of being regulated. Two hundred and twenty online surveys were completed and four focus groups conducted. Analysis revealed participants had little understanding of regulation and how the State Act applied to their student role and practice. The study recommends a nationally consistent strategy to inform students of their regulatory responsibilities.

To review research evidence on the adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM)'s ability to continue self management in the hospital setting.A person with T1DM requires a daily management routine to control glycaemia levels known as self management. On admission to hospital anecdotal evidence suggests people with T1DM are managed by health professionals and self management is difficult. A review of the literature is required to explore the anecdotal evidence.A literature review of available primary peer-reviewed research on self management of T1DM in hospital.A systematic search of the literature published between 1998 and 2008 was undertaken to identify research available on self management of T1DM in hospital. The mixed methods review was conducted using critique tools for randomised control trials, qualitative and quantitative studies. Four main themes were identified; Glycaemic control, development of self management, the expert patient and T1DM management in hospital.Sixteen related publications were identified. In the context of their daily life adults with T1DM perceive their ability to self manage as important and view themselves as 'experts' in their self management. However, there is a recognised conflict about T1DM management between the 'expert' and health professional. Furthermore, management of T1DM by health professionals in the hospital setting has been identified as having a biomedical focus and being poorly managed.People with T1DM have knowledge and skills to self manage. Whilst there is support for adults to actively self manage their illness to maintain glycaemic control, there is no support in the literature regarding a continuation of self management in the hospital setting.

China is a country experiencing urgent and rapid urbanisation as it integrates Western ways of knowing and being. These rapid changes pose particular challenges for adolescents negotiating constructs of identity between worldviews. This paper will present a report on observations made on a recent scoping visit by two nurse academics to three Chinese cities. An ecological framework will be used to discuss and critique emerging health issues for adolescents. These were identified as 'early love', 'internet use and abuse', 'physical violence' and 'stealing'. Community health nurses are challenged to make sense of these issues and how best to support adolescents, their families and communities. Contexts of care for community health nurses are also problematic as adolescent education takes priority as a driver for economic growth. Accordingly, this paper will also explore enablers and barriers for this group of community health nurses.

Adolescent patients within the acute hospital setting require activities which allow for identity development and interaction with other patients. Adolescent patients in a study performed by Hutton in 1999, discuss what type of activities they would like to do while in hospital and describe the environment in which they would like these activities to take place. There were seven patients in Hutton's study. All of these adolescent patients had chronic medical conditions and had been in and out of hospital for most of their lives. These adolescent patients where able to articulate who they wanted to perform activities with and the reasons for both quiet and noisy activities within a busy ward environment. The use of televisions in the ward environment is also included in this discussion.

The transition from undergraduate nursing student to employment as a registered nurse is fraught with difficulties for a neophyte. This qualitative study used interviews and focus groups with graduate nurses from the Flinders University of South Australia in their first year of practice to ascertain their experiences as new graduates. The results reveal an enculturation of graduates not conducive to ongoing learning, consolidation of skills and application to practice. A rushed environment that was unpredictable, together with a lack of support, were recurrent themes from the graduates' perspective. Graduate nurse programs are run by institutions focused on outcomes and expenditure. There is little or no collaboration with the tertiary sector in providing appropriate programs according to graduates' needs. The graduates, as beginning practitioners, focused on not having the time to nurse holistically, an unrealistic workload, and the need for backup and continuous support on an individual basis. The wards, although possibly efficient and effective in providing health care, provided a culture where the graduates felt inadequate, rushed, overworked and unsupported, which is contrary to the aims and objectives of the graduate nurse programs. The nursing profession as a whole needs to develop a culture that is nurturing, enabling, supportive and protective of our young.