Thesis (MCur)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Agency-nursing work refers to nursing services provided by agency nurses employed on a casual, contracted basis. Agency-nursing has become more common in nursing practice in South Africa. This group of nurses play a significant role within the health care industry for both public and private sector. Given the pivotal role that nurses play in caring for the health of others, it is important to understand what motivates agency nurses in terms of job satisfaction. The aim of the study was to explore the perceptions of agency nurses regarding job satisfaction within critical care units in private health care institutions in the Western Cape. A qualitative research design with a phenomenological approach was applied. A sample size of n=10 was drawn from a total population of N=553, using random sampling technique. A semi-structured interview guide was designed based on the objectives of the study and validated by experts in the field before data collection. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Ethics Committee at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stellenbosch. Permission to conduct the research was obtained from the participating nursing agency and consent was given in writing. The presentation of the results was categorised into themes and sub-themes emerged from the data analysis. The five clusters of themes that emerged were reasons for doing agency work, experiences with hospital staff, allocation of agency nurses, communication of information and staff development. The findings support Herzberg’s theory on motivation factors in terms of what motivates workers to excel in their performance. Agency nurses experienced both positive and negative aspects with regards to job satisfaction. The results of the study suggest the need to include revision and implementation of human resource policies and practices to include the nurses’ “voice” in an effort to provide a more supportive work environment. Further research is recommended. Key Words: Agency nurse, nursing agency, job satisfaction. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Agentskapverplegingswerk verwys na verplegingsdienste wat voorsien word deur agentskapverpleegsters wat op ’n tydelike, gekontrakteerde basis in diens geneem word. Agentskapverpleging het meer algemene gebruik in die verpleegpraktyk in Suid-Afrika geword. Hierdie groep verpleegsters speel ’n belangrike rol in die gesondheidsbedryf vir beide die openbare en die private sektor. Gegee die deurslaggewende rol wat verpleegsters speel in die gesondheidsversorging van ander mense, is dit belangrik om te verstaan wat agentskapverpleegsters motiveer vanuit die oogpunt van werksbevrediging. Die doel van die studie was om die persepsies en ervarings van agentskapverpleegsters ten opsigte van werksbevrediging te ondersoek binne die waakeenhede in private gesondheidsorg-inrigtings in die Wes-Kaap. ’n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp met ’n fenomenologiese benadering is toegepas. ’n Monstergrootte van n=10 is geneem uit ’n populasie van N= 553 deur die ewekansige steekproeftegniek te gebruik. ’n Semi-gestruktureerde onderhoudgids was ontwerp en gebaseer op die doelwitte van die studie en was deur deskundiges op hierdie gebied, voor die insameling van data, gelding verklaar. Etiese goedkeuring vir die studie was verkry van die Etiese Komitee van die Fakulteit van Gesondheidswetenskappe, Stellenbosch Universiteit. Goedkeuring om die navorsing te doen, was verkry van die deelnemende agentskap en toestemming was op skrif geplaas. Die voorgelegde resultate was gekategoriseer in temas en subtemas wat uit die data-analise voortgespruit het. Die vyf groepe van temas wat hieruit gespruit het, is redes vir die keuse om agentskapwerk te doen, ervarings met hospitaalpersoneel, die toewysing van agentskapverpleegsters, kommunikasie van inligting en personeelontwikkeling. Die bevindinge het onthul dat Herzberg se teorie oor motiveringsfaktore werkers aangemoedig het om te presteer in die uitvoering van hulle pligte. Werksbevrediging is volgehou deur die agentskapverpleegster. Die bevindings dui op die behoefte om die hersiening en implementering van menslike hulpbronbeleidsverklarings en -praktyke in te sluit sodat die verpleegster se stem gehoor kan word in ’n poging om ’n meer ondersteunende werkomgewing te voorsien. Verdere navorsing word aanbeveel. Sleutelwoorde: Agentskapverpleegster, verplegingsagentskap, werksbevrediging.

The thesis focuses on multilingual communication in healthcare centres in Prague. One of its main objectives is to compare and contrast the situation in the public- and the private sector. The theoretical part of the thesis presents interpreting in healthcare settings as one of the most important and most frequent types of community interpreting. The authors focus mainly on the current state of research in diverse world regions, and subsequently analyse the specific aspects of interpreting situations in the setting in question. An integral constituent of the theoretical part of the thesis is a global overview of the current situation in terms of quantity of foreign patients in Prague hospitals, including selected relevant demographic data. In conclusion of the theoretical part, the authors briefly elaborate on the phenomenon of medical tourism. The empirical part of the thesis is based on a questionnaire survey carried out among hospital employees in Prague, the aim of which was to analyse the current situation in terms of communication with foreign country nationals and to compare and contrast the public- and the private sector in this respect. The main focus of the research is to find out how the respondents perceive the situation and whether they are satisfied with it and to what extent this is...

Cette recherche doctorale est consacrée à l’analyse des représentations et des pratiques mises en oeuvrepar les professionnels hospitaliers d’établissements franciliens à l’égard de patients qu’ils identifientcomme roms. S’appuyant sur une ethnographie de la relation de guichet, elle propose une étude desfrontières morales qui fondent le processus de catégorisation raciale mis en oeuvre lors de la prise encharge de ces patients. Cette analyse révèle la superposition de frontières professionnelles auxfrontières raciales et morales tracées par les enquêtés, exposant ainsi différents usages professionnelsdu processus de racialisation des usagers. L’observation des usages quotidiens de la racialisation lorsde la relation de soin, de la prise en charge par les services et de l’accueil dans les établissements desanté démontre, non seulement l’existence d’une corrélation entre représentations racialisantes ettraitements différentiels des usagers, mais également le renforcement de cette tendance parl’imposition, via des réformes hospitalières inspirées du nouveau management public, d’objectifs derentabilité financière aux institutions de santé. / This doctoral research analyses the representations and practices of Ile-de-France’s hospitalprofessionals towards patients they identify as Roma. Based on an ethnography of administrativeencounters, it examines the moral boundaries of the racial categorisation process implemented duringpatient-provider relationships beginning with patient admission. The analysis reveals the superpositionof professional boundaries upon moral and racial boundaries drawn by healthcare professionals, andthe different professional uses they make of the racialisation process. The observation of daily uses ofracialisation during patient-provider relationships, interactions at the health service level and at theinstitutional level not only proves the link between agents’ racial representations and racialdiscrimination towards users, but also demonstrates how this pattern is reinforced by the objective ofprofitability imposed on healthcare institutions by new public management reforms.