Background: Reducing rates of unintended pregnancy among young women in the United Kingdom (UK) requires that we understand why young women use particular contraceptive methods, why they stop using them, and why, in turn, they switch to other methods. The majority of studies in this area have been quantitative, and few have taken place in the UK. This study examines the patterns of contraceptive use among young women from the East of Scotland, and uses a qualitative approach to explore if they have contraceptive careers. Methods: Quantitative analyses of data collected as part of the SHARE (Sexual Health and Relationships) Sex Education Trial were used to explore young women’s contraceptive use, discontinuation, method switching, and patterns of use over time at age 16. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 young women from this sample to examine their full sexual and contraceptive histories and the contexts within which they occur. Purposive sampling was used to select a heterogeneous sample of young women at age 20 based on sexual experience, area of residence, educational attainment and social background. Findings: Young women’s contraceptive use is complex and, in the quantitative data, multiple individual patterns of use were apparent. In the qualitative study, three contraceptive career types were apparent: consistent, complex, and chaotic. Consistent contraceptive careers were characterised by uniform and regular use over time; complex by manageable change depending on relationships, partner type, and experiences of method use; and chaotic by frequent method changes and multiple experiences of contraceptive failure, which were further complications in their already, somewhat disordered lives. All of the young women who were interviewed recognised their need for contraception but their ability to manage use, and therefore their experience of method discontinuation and contraceptive risks, varied depending on career type. All reported that they had changed their contraceptive method at least once, although most had only used condoms or the contraceptive pill. Most change was between these two particular methods. The need for pregnancy prevention underpinned all of the young women’s contraceptive choices, but for each method there were specific push factors, which encouraged use, and pull factors, which discouraged use. Ease of access and social norms around use encouraged condom use but the young women’s personal dislike of the method and their experience of condom failures resulted in change to the pill, particularly once the young women were in relationships with boyfriends. The pill was perceived to be more reliable, and its non-contraceptive benefits, particularly menstrual regulation, set it apart from other available methods and encouraged continued use. Use of alternative methods, such as long acting reversible contraceptives (LARC), was only initiated when the young women experienced major problems or side effects with the pill and change was advocated by a health professional. However, all who used alternatives, discontinued use because they disliked the side effects they experienced. Half had had unprotected sex, and for a few this was an unplanned, unexpected, one-off event, but for most it was a frequent behaviour, which became the norm. Most had used emergency contraception at some point, mainly as a result of contraceptive failure, and it remained a temporary, back-up method rather than a regular contraceptive. Conclusions: Contraceptive discontinuation and method switching was common among the young women in this study. Assessing their different patterns of use demonstrated that for some, contraceptive use was straightforward, while for others, it remained a constant struggle. A range of contraceptive methods should be made available to young women as one size does not fit all. However, it is important to recognise that pill use can be unproblematic if managed well. Sexual and reproductive health policies and interventions should consider what might really suit each individual young woman, based on her lifestyle and contraceptive experiences.

This thesis offers a critical history of the Glasgow University Media Group from 1975 to 2005. It argues that, viewed as a whole, the GUMG’s work constitutes a School of media sociology, which can now be recognised as such. The GUMG has lead research into the production, content and reception of public communications and has made a contribution to its field that it as significant as those made by the Birmingham School; the Toronto School and the Chicago School among others. However, there are barriers to that recognition, with which this thesis is also concerned. They are the misperception that the work of the group is biased by Marxist analysis and is motivated by a conspiracy theory of the media. The thesis also looks at the GUMG’s increasingly intimate relationship with broadcasters and examines how that relationship has contributed to a public sociology of the media, which is the most distinctive feature of the Glasgow School of media.

<p> Graduate programs in nursing for non-nurses (GPNNN) are rapidly proliferating in response to demands for innovative strategies to increase the number of nurses to meet health care demands, both actual and anticipated. Transitions Theory (Meleis et al., 2000) provided a framework to identify the gaps in knowledge related to how individuals transition to nurse within these programs. One of the gaps in the literature that was identified was a description of the transition to nurse experience of students enrolled in a GPNNN. This qualitative descriptive research was conducted in response to this gap. It examined the transition from non-nurse to nurse through a GPNNN which prepared non-nurses for advanced nursing practice. The study had three aims: to describe the transition experienced by the students; to describe how they used their prior education and experiences in this transition; and to describe the factors they saw as facilitators and hindrances to this transition. </p><p> Responsive interviewing (Rubin &amp; Rubin, 2012) with a purposive sample (n=17) of registered nurses enrolled in the advanced practice curriculum of the GPNNN was used. Data was collected from these nurses between September and December, 2013. Data analysis included initial codification of interviews, and within and between interview comparison of codes, resulting in re-coding and collapsing of codes. To assure the trustworthiness of the data, the criteria thoroughness, accuracy, believability and transparency were used (Rubin &amp; Rubin, 2005).</p><p> Data analysis revealed a process of transition that occurred over three distinct time periods, <i>Coming to Nursing</i> (pre-enrollment), <i> Beginning to Learn the Role as Nurse</i> (pre-licensure), and <i> Practicing as Nurse</i> (post-licensure). Influences that impacted the transition across periods included personal goals, knowledge, skills, and professional growth. Indicators of transition that were known to the individual and to others were described. The individual's utilization of prior education and experiences in their personal transition experience was described as primarily influencing study habits and clinical experiences. Facilitators and hindrances to the transition included experience working as a nurse, self-identification as nurse, personal goals, the accelerated program, the programmatic focus on NCLEX style testing and the nursing pedagogy.</p><p> Interpretation of the findings of this research was informed by the literature. Identification of three periods of transition through nursing education has been described in transition to nurse in other nursing education populations (Shane, 1980a, 1980b; Neill, 2010), and is consistent with transitional patterns (Meleis, 2010). However, the three transitional periods identified in this study are peculiar to the transition experience through a GPNNN, and don't mirror the characteristics identified in transitional periods in other populations. A rich description of the transition experienced by the participants is presented including characteristics of the transitional periods, the influence of prior education and experience within the transition, and identification of factors that facilitated or hindered the transition experience. This description has not previously been described in the literature.</p><p> There are implications of this research for practice, theory, education, policy and research, and these are discussed.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Sociology, 2005. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-06, Section: A, page: 2392. Adviser: Jane D. McLeod. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed Nov. 28, 2006)."

Thesis--Lund. / Cover title. Includes bibliographical references (p. 164-167).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of California, San Francisco, 2009. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-04, Section: B, page: 2206. Advisers: Mary A. Blegen; Charlene A. Harrington. Includes supplementary digital materials.

<p> The problem addressed was the low job satisfaction levels of nurses and subsequent nurses' decision to leave the organization. The quantitative correlational survey study involved determining whether a relationship exists between nurses&rsquo; perceptions of nurse managers&rsquo; leadership style and nurses&rsquo; job satisfaction. Eighty-three fulltime medical surgical intensive care nurses in two hospitals in Phoenix, Arizona, completed the Job Description Index for Jobs in General (JID/JIG) and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ, Form 5X). The results suggest a significant, positive correlation between job satisfaction and perceptions of nurse managers' leadership style by nurses. Nurses with the highest satisfaction scores in three of the six subscales perceived their managers used the transformational leadership style. The mean score for nurses whose managers were rated as transactional was higher than the mean score for nurses whose managers were rated as passive-avoidant. The promotion and supervision subscales and the job in general scale showed a significant relationship with transformational leadership. Implications for healthcare administrative leaders include hiring transformational managers to increase job satisfaction in nurses and offer nurses opportunities for promotion and training.</p>

<p> The purpose of this correlational, quantitative research study was to determine if a relationship existed between employee perceived levels of servant leadership in healthcare leaders and employee satisfaction in New York City public hospital emergency rooms. The effect of servant leadership on improving employee satisfaction in New York City public hospital emergency rooms (ER) was unknown. The theoretical foundation of the study, servant leadership, supported the premise that employee perceptions of servant leadership characteristics influenced employee job satisfaction within public hospital settings in New York City. One hundred and seventeen employees completed the Organizational Leadership Assessment and the Minnesota Survey Questionnaire, and the data were analyzed through the utility of SPSS v. 19. The results revealed a statistically significant relationship between servant leadership and employee general job satisfaction (<i>r</i> = .191; <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). The findings of this research study are important with regard to the following areas: (a) providing information to healthcare administrators regarding the usefulness of servant leadership in the improvement of employee and patient satisfaction, (b) creating a positive working environment for employees, (c) creating satisfied employees and patients, and (d) improving organizational performance.. The study adds to the research in the area of servant leadership and its potential to impact healthcare organizations and people. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> servant leadership, employee satisfaction, patient satisfaction.</p>

<p> This exploratory research increases knowledge and understanding of blame in the workplace. Attribution theory, moral philosophy, and social cognition provided a theoretical framework to understand individual blame determination as a precursor to understand systemic blame. Systemic blame is informed by complex systems theory and research on "no blame" cultures in a healthcare setting. </p><p> Interpretive description, supported by applied thematic analysis, provided the methodological framework for this qualitative study. The 17 senior leaders interviewed for this research study were selected through purposive sampling, and individually had an average 28 years of experience in healthcare. The semi-structured interviews were designed to gather experiences and stories that informed the participants' perspectives on blame in the workplace. </p><p> Constant comparative thematic analysis of the data resulted in four main findings. First, blame is prevalent in the workplace. Second, blame begets blame through a vicious cycle of blame. In this cycle there is often unwarranted blame. Blame feels bad, which results in fear of blame and avoidance of blame. One way to avoid blame is to blame someone else. This positive reinforcing feedback loop of blame creates a culture of blame. Third, a culture of blame includes characteristics of risk aversion and mistrust. Risk aversion decreases innovation, and mistrust decreases transparent communication. Fourth, blame has an inverse relationship to accountability, where less blame may result in more accountability. These findings both confirm and contradict the current literature. The resulting conclusion is blame is not a game.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1985. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 287-311).