The aim of this study was to generate knowledge of career progression for women professors of nursing, an under researched topic, in order to understand how their professional and personal experiences may have influenced their aspirations and opportunities for career success. This qualitative study gave voice to a small group of women professors of nursing through individual narrative semi-structured interviews, a relatively under-used methodology. The findings are anticipated to have currency in providing new perspectives on women professors of nursing and are presented as professional influences and social capital factors. This study introduces individual participant narratives, examining and considering these to explore if the career progression may have been affected by professional influences and social capital. The data is analysed using narrative analysis, a method examining both form and content and the findings are interpreted thematically as barriers or opportunities and categorised as adverse and advantageous factors to career success. From this a relationship map is developed with these factors drawn together and the resulting knowledge illustrated through a framework towards career progression for women professors of nursing. In generating theory about key factors in career progression, current discourses gain some illumination, such as mentoring, social change and equal opportunities in the workplace. The multiple roles of a nurse academic are expounded upon, with focus on the functions of teaching, research and administration. Opportunities for revisiting strategy and reinforcing equal opportunities in the workplace are identified. There are also implications for the redevelopment of formal role modelling and mentorship schemes. The study makes tentative claims to the development of new knowledge in the area of women professors of nursing, contributing to the broader discourse around recruitment and career development in higher education. The study illustrates the interplay between professional influences and social capital in achieving career success for these women professors of nursing.

In recent years, there has been significant interest in the concept of wellbeing in the academic literature. Likewise, Government strategies are increasingly being aligned with the promotion of positive mental health, as opposed to merely the treatment of illness. Experiencing wellbeing in later life has, however, been labelled by some as a ‘paradox’, as the conditions of older age are assumed to be negative and thus at odds with those which sustain wellbeing. On the whole, the notion of wellbeing as applied to older adults has been defined by ‘experts’, and the small number of studies that have examined this from the perspective of older adults have often reduced this to the life domains which support or undermine quality of life. Therefore, in order to gain a richer understanding of this topic, the aim of this study was to further explore older adults’ perceptions and experience of wellbeing. In this qualitative study, a combination of narrative inquiry and photographic methods were used to elicit wellbeing stories from older adults. Thirteen participants aged 56 – 82 years took photographs of the factors they associated with their wellbeing, which they discussed in narrative interviews. Analysis of these data revealed that there were six ‘narrative types’ present in the stories told by participants; namely Continuity, Proactivity, Opportunity, Recovery, Acceptance and Disruption. These findings were considered in relation to the narrative elements of tone, plot, agency, temporality and pace. Comparisons were made between the six ‘narrative types’ and the ‘narrative of decline’ which is assumed to shape the stories told by older adults. It emerged that, on the whole, the narratives which were present in my study were positive in tone, had plots of stability or progression, displayed high levels of agency in the storytellers, were placed in the present and within a coherent life story, and revealed a busy pace of life. The ‘narrative of decline’ was found to have little influence over the stories which were told. In addition, it seemed that there may be a new ‘wellbeing’ narrative which is more pertinent to those in younger-old age. Thus my findings suggest that wellbeing can be experienced in later life and that the ‘narrative of decline’ should no longer be automatically cited as the one which shapes the stories older adults can tell about their lives.

There has been a surge in the involvement of service users and carers in health and social care education, research, and practice in the last three decades within the United Kingdom. However, there are few studies that have evaluated the impact of Involvement in health and social care students' education. This study explored the impact of active involvement in Adult Nursing and Social Work pre-registration education. It provided a tripartite perspective from the perceptions of the three main stakeholders involved: students, academic staff and service users/carers in a specific Higher Education setting in the United Kingdom. A concurrent embedded mixed-methods approach was employed in this study. The study sample was drawn from the three participating stakeholder groups. A total of 38 participants took part in this study. Qualitative information was gathered using semi-structured interviews and focus groups, which explored participants' perspectives of the impact of active involvement in Adult Nursing and Social Work pre-registration degrees. Questionnaires was the data collection tool for the quantitative information required in this study. Questionnaire was helpful in obtaining contextual information about the participants and service users and carers' involvement at the research site. It was used to gather factual information about the participants and the current nature of the involvement in Adult Nursing and Social Work pre-registration degree as it was being practiced at the time of data collection and characteristics that may influence or affect the impact of involvement Qualitative data was analysed thematically from the semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Additionally, descriptive and cross-tab analysis of quantitative data was carried out. Then, a side-by-side comparison was used to identify aspects of the qualitative and quantitative findings that were convergent and conflicting. Findings of this study indicated that the scope and integration of service users and carers in educational activities varied greatly within and between subjects even within the same university. Social Work degree reported a wider scope and greater inclusion than the Adult nursing degree. Two main factors account for this notable differences between the two degrees. These are: the duration of involvement being a regulatory requirement by the Professional Regulatory and Statutory Bodies as well as the duration of conducting involvement. Furthermore, this study revealed that involvement influences all three main stakeholders in Higher Education. Some beneficial outcomes of involvement were similar in the academic staff and students' participant groups. Academic staff and service users/carers raised similar concerns. Overall, the participants indicated that service users and carers' involvement is generally positive and makes an important and unique contribution to the education of nurses and Social Workers supporting the delivery of patient/client-centred care. This study contributed to new knowledge about involvement in Adult Nursing and Social Work pre-registration degrees by generating a holistic view of its impact. This was achieved by exploring these impacts from a tripartite perspective of the three main stakeholders in Higher Education. This study also developed a modified six rung model that helps to involvement is active and meaningful. A partnership framework was proposed to inform future involvement practices and research about ways of optimising the beneficial outcomes and limiting the inhibitory factors of service users and carers' involvement in students' education. Overall, this study provided insights into best practices and pitfalls to avoid, which may be of value to HE providers, education commissioners as well as Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies regarding the practices of service users and carers' involvement in Higher Education.