This research is about a shared journey of being together. It involved thirteen women nurses (including myself) in a process approach to working with data collected through audio transcriptions of conversations during group get-togethers, field notes and journalling over twelve months. The project was conducted in a large acute care metropolitan hospital where the ward staff interests lie in a practice history of the medical specialty of gynaecology and women's health. Prior to commencement ethical approval was gained from both the University and hospital ethics committees. Accessing the group was complicated by the political climate of the hospital, possibly exaggerated further by the health politics across the state of Victoria, at a time of major upheaval characterised by regionalism, rationalisation and debt servicing. In order to ascertain women clinical nurses' constructions of collegiality I adopted an ethnomethodological approach informed by a critical feminist lens to enable the participants to engage in a process of openly ideological inquiry, in critiquing and transforming practice. I felt the choice of methodology had to be consistent with my own ideological position to enable me to be myself (as much as I could) during the project. I wanted to work with women to illuminate the ways in which dominant ideologies had come to be apprehended, inscribed, embodied and/or resisted in the everyday intersubjective realities of participants. The research itself became a site of resistance as the group became aware of how and in what ways their lives had become distorted, while at the same time it collaboratively transformed their individual and collective practice understandings, enabling them to see the self and other anew. Set against the background of dominant discourses on collegiality, women's understandings of collegiality have remained a submerged discourse. Revealed in this work are complex inter-relationships that might be described by some as collegial!, but for others relations amongst these women depict alternative meanings in a rich picture of the fabric of ward life. The participants understand these relations through a connectedness that has empathy as its starting point. In keeping with my commitment to engage with these women I endeavoured to remain faithful to the dialogical approach to this inquiry. Moreover I have brought the voices of the women to the foreground, peeling away the rhizomatic interconnections in and between understandings. What this has meant in terms of the thesis is that the work has become artificially distanced for the purposes of academic requirements. Nevertheless it speaks to the understandings the participants have of their relationships; of the various locations of the visible and invisible voices; of the many landscapes and images, genealogies, subjectivities and multiple selves that inform the selves with(in) others and being-in-relation. Throughout the journey meanings are revealed, revisited and reconstructed. Many nuances comprise the subtexts illuminating the depths of various moral locations underpinning the ways these women engage with one another in practice. The process of the research weaves through multiple positions, conveying the centrality of shared goals, multiple identities, resistances and differences which contribute to a holding environment, a location in which women value one another in their being-in-relation and in which they stand separately yet together.

Thesis (MCur)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Primary Health Care (PHC) provide a quality, comprehensive health service to the community, based on the principles of equity, affordability, accessibility and community participation. It is a nurse driven service with the Clinical Nurse Practitioner (CNP), a registered nurse specialising in the clinical elements of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention at the forefront. It is against this background that this study was endeavored to investigate the community’s perceptions and lived experiences of the quality of care being rendered by CNPs in the West Coast rural district of the Western Cape. The objectives of this study included the following: - To explore and describe the perceptions of patients in the West Coast rural community regarding the attitudes, knowledge and skills of CNPs. - To provide policy makers with feedback and possible recommendations with regards to the implementation of this nurse driven PHC service. - To provide recommendations for improvement of the existing curricula at nursing education institutions based on whether the current training meets patients’ needs and thereby possibly influence curricular change. A qualitative, descriptive, research design was used. The guideline by Colaizzi (as cited in Streubert & Carpenter, 1999:14) was used for data collection and analysis. Twenty-six participants took part in five different group interviews. Semi-structured, open ended questions were used to encourage the participants to actively partake. Each interview was audio taped and field notes were taken. Thematic analyses was performed to highlight three main themes, i.e. the attitudes of the CNPs, the knowledge and skills of CNPs, and the impact of the current training programmes on the quality of care being rendered by these CNPs. Written approval from the Ethics Research Committee, University of Stellenbosch, as well as from the Research unit of the Western Cape Department of Health was obtained. Prior informed consent was further obtained from each participant, after being assured of voluntary participation, confidentiality and anonymity. Credibility, dependability and transferability were ensured by returning to two participants who validated that the transcripts were a true reflection of their experiencesand opinions. This study concluded that patients perceived CNPs as being unfriendly, uncompassionate and unprofessional. Dissatisfaction with the prevalence of unjust practices due to family members and certain race groups being attended to first by CNPs, were expressed. Participants found the competency levels of CNPs more than adequate when assessing, examining and providing health information and medicine. However, they expressed the need that CNPs should be able to prescribe a greater variety of medicines and perform more diagnostic tests than currently permitted by the scope of practice as set out by the South African Nursing Council. Therefore, these views of the participants indicated that the current postgraduate training programme do fulfill their health needs, although the need for expansion of the role and function of the CNP were expressed. Recommendations made included: - An in-depth investigation into the alleged rude attitudes of CNPs should be undertaken, soas to improve the professional behavior of CNPs towards patients. - Applicable policy makers should consider expanding the roles and functions of the CNP. - Enforcing continuous, professional competency through adequate and productive in-service training programmes. In conclusion, this study showed that CNPs need to be constantly aware that they work with human beings, with feelings and with health needs. The need for a therapeutic environment is thus crucial to the rendering of a quality, comprehensive service to the community they serve. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Primêre Gesondheidsorg (PGS) voorsien ’n kwaliteit, omvattende gesondheidsdiens aan die gemeenskap, gebaseer op die beginsels van gelykheid, bekostigbaarheid, toeganklikheid en gemeenskaps-betrokkenheid.Dit is `n verpleegaangedrewe diens met die Kliniese Verpleegspraktisyn (KVP) wat gespesialiseerd is in die kliniese elemente van primêre, sekondêre en tersiêre voorkoming, aan die voortou. Dit is teen hierdie agtergrond wat hierdie studie aangepak is, ten einde ondersoek in te stel aangaande die gemeenskap se persepsies en geleefde ervarings van die kwaliteit van sorg wat deur KVPs in die plattelandse Weskusdistrik van die Wes-Kaap gelewer word. Die doelwitte van hierdie studie het die volgende ingesluit: - Om die persepsies van pasiënte, rakende die ingesteldhede (gedrag), kennis en vaardighede van KVPs te ondersoek. - Om toepaslike beleidsmakers metterugvoer en moontlike aanbevelings te voorsien aangaande die implimentering van verpleegaangedrewe, PGS. - Om aanbevelings te maak vir die verbetering van bestaande kurrikula aan verpleegopleidingsinstellings op grond van óf die huidige opleiding in pasiëntbehoeftes voorsien, en sodoende kurrikulumverandering moontlik te beïnvloed. ’n Kwalitatiewe, beskrywende navorsingsontwerp is gebruik. Die raamwerk van Colaizzi (soos beskryf in Streubert & Carpenter, 1999:14) is tydens datainsameling en analiese gebruik. Ses-en-twintig deelnemers het aan die vyf verskillende groepsonderhoude deelgeneem. Semi-gestruktureerde, oop-einde vrae was gebruik om die deelnemers aan te moedig om aktief aan die besprekings deel te neem. Elke onderhoud is op oudio band opgeneem en veldnotas is gemaak. Tydens analiese is drie hooftemas geïdentifiseer, nl die houdings van KVPs, die kennis en vaardighede van die KVPs sowel as die impak van die opleidingsprogram op die kwaliteit van sorg wat deur KVPs gelewer word. Skriftelike toestemming vir die studie is by die Etiese Navorsingkommittee, Universiteit van Stellenbosch, asook die Navorsingseenheid van die Wes- Kaapse Departement van Gesondheid verkry. Voorafgaande toestemming is voorts vanaf elke deelnemer verkry, nadat hulle verseker is van vrywillige deelname, konfidensialiteit en anonimiteit. Geloofwaardigheid, afhanklikheid en oordraagbaarheid is verseker, deur na twee van die deelnemers terug te gaan wat die transkripsies geverifieër het as juis en korrek. In hierdie studie is tot die slotsom gekom dat pasiënte KVPs as onvriendelik enongevoeligervaar het. Onbillike praktyke kom steeds voor, deurdat familielede en sekere rassegroepe voorkeur behandeling kry. Deelnemers se ervarings aangaande die bevoegdheid van KVPs was as toereikend beskryf aangaande die assessering, ondersoek en voorsiening van gesondheidsinligting en medisyne. Hulle het egter ook die behoefte uitgespreek dat die KVP’s `n groter verskeidenheid medisyne behoort voor te skryf en meer diagnostiese toetse behoort te kan uitvoer as wat tans binne die bestek van praktyk, soos neergelê deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Raad op Verpleging, moontlik is. Hierdie persepsie van die deelnemers impliseer dat die huidige nagraadse opleidingsprogram voldoende is en hul gesondheidsbehoeftes aanspreek. Die behoefte vir die uitbreiding van die rol en funksie van die KVP is egter uitgespreek. Die aanbevelings wat gemaak is sluit in: - ’n In-diepte ondersoek oor die onbeskofte ingesteldhede van KVPs behoort uitgevoer te word, ten einde die professionele gedrag van KVPs teenoor pasiënte te verbeter. - Beleidmakers behoort die uitbreiding van die rolle en funksies van die KVP te oorweeg. - Benadruk voortgesette, professionele bevoegdheid deur toepaslike en produktiewe indiensopleidingsprogramme. Ter aflsuiting: hierdie studie het aangetoon dat KVPs voortdurend bewus moetbly dat hulle met mense werk wat gevoelens het en wat gesondheidshulp benodig. Dit is uiters belangrik om aan die behoeftesvan ’n terapeutiese omgewing te voorsien, ten einde ’n kwaliteit, omvattende diens aan die gemeenskap te lewer.

SUMMARY The purpose of this study is to discuss the clinical nurse's work value, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention at Tainan regional hospitals; compare the difference of clinical nurse's work value, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention by the variation of personal character and the variation of organization; and research for the interaction of clinical nurse's work value, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention. The total 301 clinical nurses from three different hospitals are surveyed by the self-made questionnaire of clinical nurse's work value and turnover intention. The total 263 useful questionnaires are collected and analyzed by the statistical techniques including mean, proportion, correlation analysis, one-way ANOVA and regression analysis etc. The finding from this study provides the following information: 1.In the category of work value, the safe working environment and job pay have the highest score and the self-learning has the lowest score. In the category of job satisfaction, the management satisfaction is the best and the pay satisfaction is the worst. The recognition and devotion commitments are more important than the retention commitment in the category of organizational commitment. The average score for turnover intention is 15.26 (full marks is 25). 2.The substantial discrepancy in clinical nurse's work value, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention exists in the result of the variation of organization. 3.The variation of personal character leads to the significant discrepancy in work value, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention. 4.The job satisfaction results from the work value at government contracted-hospital. The organizational commitment results from the job satisfaction at all three hospitals. The turnover intention is under the influence of organizational commitment at city hospital, under the influence of job satisfaction and organizational commitment at Christian hospital and under the influence of work value and organizational commitment at government contracted-hospital. The conclusion from this study provides the hospital management with the concept how to limit the turnover intention in order to maintain the top competitive ability in medical business and provide the best service quality for the clients.

<p>Low back pain (LBP) is a significant problem among the nursing population worldwide. Manual lifting and shifting of heavy objects and patients are primary contributing factors. Nurses are supposed to be knowledgeable about the risk factors and preventive measures and effectively apply it into practice to prevent them from sustaining back injuries. Strategies to reducing the incidences of LBP in nurses have been previously implemented but with little outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between occupational risk factors and the prevalence of LBP in nurses at MOI, Tanzania. Therefore, the study examined / the prevalence of LBP amongst nurses, work-related risk factors contributing to LBP, knowledge and effectiveness of back care techniques, and barriers to effective back care techniques in clinical nurses.</p>

<p>Low back pain (LBP) is a significant problem among the nursing population worldwide. Manual lifting and shifting of heavy objects and patients are primary contributing factors. Nurses are supposed to be knowledgeable about the risk factors and preventive measures and effectively apply it into practice to prevent them from sustaining back injuries. Strategies to reducing the incidences of LBP in nurses have been previously implemented but with little outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between occupational risk factors and the prevalence of LBP in nurses at MOI, Tanzania. Therefore, the study examined / the prevalence of LBP amongst nurses, work-related risk factors contributing to LBP, knowledge and effectiveness of back care techniques, and barriers to effective back care techniques in clinical nurses.</p>

Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio) / Low back pain (LBP) is a significant problem among the nursing population worldwide. Manual lifting and shifting of heavy objects and patients are primary contributing factors. Nurses are supposed to be knowledgeable about the risk factors and preventive measures and effectively apply it into practice to prevent them from sustaining back injuries. Strategies to reducing the incidences of LBP in nurses have been previously implemented but with little outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between occupational risk factors and the prevalence of LBP in nurses at MOI, Tanzania. Therefore, the study examined; the prevalence of LBP amongst nurses, work-related risk factors contributing to LBP, knowledge and effectiveness of back care techniques, and barriers to effective back care techniques in clinical nurses. / South Africa