A modest start, but a steady rise in research use : A longitudinal study of nurses during the first five years in professional life

Background: Newly graduated nurses are faced with a challenging work environment that may impede theirability to provide evidence-based practice. However, little is known about the trajectory of registered nurses’ use ofresearch during the first years of professional life. Thus, the aim of the current study was to prospectively examinethe extent of nurses’ use of research during the first five years after undergraduate education and specifically assesschanges over time.Method: Survey data from a prospective cohort of 1,501 Swedish newly graduated nurses within the nationalLANE study (Longitudinal Analyses of Nursing Education and Entry in Worklife) were used to investigate perceiveduse of research over the first five years as a nurse. The dependent variables consisted of three single itemsassessing instrumental, conceptual, and persuasive research use, where the nurses rated their use on a five-pointscale, from ‘never’ (1) to ‘on almost every shift’ (5). These data were collected annually and analyzed bothdescriptively and by longitudinal growth curve analysis.Results: Instrumental use of research was most frequently reported, closely followed by conceptual use, withpersuasive use occurring to a considerably lower extent. The development over time showed a substantial generalupward trend, which was most apparent for conceptual use, increasing from a mean of 2.6 at year one to 3.6 atyear five (unstandardized slope +0.25). However, the descriptive findings indicated that the increase started onlyafter the second year. Instrumental use had a year one mean of 2.8 and a year five mean of 3.5 (unstandardizedslope +0.19), and persuasive use showed a year one mean of 1.7 and a year five mean of 2.0 (unstandardized slope+0.09).Conclusion: There was a clear trend of increasing research use by nurses during their first five years of practice.The level of the initial ratings also indicated the level of research use in subsequent years. However, it took morethan two years of professional development before this increase ‘kicked in.’ These findings support previousresearch claiming that newly graduated nurses go through a ‘transition shock,’ reducing their ability to useresearch findings in clinical work.

Self-reported conflict management competence among nursing students on the point of graduating and registered nurses with professional experience

Objective: It has been shown that specific competence is necessary for preventing and managing conflicts in healthcare settings. The aim of this descriptive and correlation study was to investigate and compare the self-reported conflict management competence (CMC) of nursing students who were on the point of graduating (NSPGs), and the CMC of registered nurses (RNs) with professional experience. Methods: The data collection, which consisted of soliciting answers to items measuring CMC in the Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale, was performed as a purposive selection of 11 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Sweden. Three CMC items from the NPC Scale were answered by a total of 569 nursing students who were on the point of graduating and 227 RN registered nurses with professional experience. Results: No significant differences between NSPGs and RNs were found, and both groups showed a similar score pattern, with the lowest score for the item: “How do you perceive your ability to develop the group and strengthen competence in conflict management and problem-solving, based on knowledge of group dynamics?”. RNs with long professional experience (>24 months) rated their overall CMC as significantly better than RNs with short (<24 months) professional experience did (p = .05). NSPGs who had experience of international studies during their nursing education reported higher CMC, compared with those who did not have this experience (p = .03). RNs who reported a high degree of utilisation of CMC during the previous month scored higher regarding self-reported overall CMC (p < .0001). Conclusions: Experience of international studies during nursing education, or long professional experience, resulted in higher self-reported CMC. Hence, the CMC items in the NPC Scale can be suitable for identifying self-reported conflict management competence among NSPGs and RNs

City-to-surf - a peer-to-peer model of on-line professional development: a collaborative mentoring model

This project explores the potential of electronic communications to support peer-to-peer interaction between separate whole-school communities as a means of providing both authentic, situated, professional development for teachers, concurrent with the development of enhanced student learning outcomes, and the intentional sharing of school 'culture'.  The intense use of telecommunications by both teacher and students in a 'many-to-many' manner provides rich opportunities for teachers to rethink their pedagogy, reconceptualise their classroom culture, and for students to see teachers as learners 'in situ'.  An extensive trial between two schools some 120km apart has demonstrated the basic functionality of the model.  This paper discusses the origins of the project, findings from the trial, and the nature of the changes to be made to the model to enhance its effects.

The sources of stress experienced by professional Australian footballers

Previous studies looking at the sources of stress in sport have generally overlooked the unique experiences of professional athletes participating in team sports. This paper describes the results of a qualitative study aimed at identifying the sources of stress experienced by a cross-section of professional Australian footballers. Players from two Australian Football League clubs took part in the study involving in-depth, one-to-one interviews and focus group discussions. The results revealed that players identified sources of stress that went beyond those associated with the competitive event (such as poor performances) and included a lack of feedback, difficulty balancing football and study commitments, and job insecurity. The influence of both competition and non-competition sources of stress parallels previous research involving non-professional athletes and indicates that the entire sporting experience needs to be taken into account when developing stress management strategies.

From personal reflection to social positioning: the development of a transformational model of a professional education in midwifery

A transformational model of professional identity formation, anchored and globalized in workplace conversations, is advanced. Whilst the need to theorize the aims and methods of clinical education has been served by the techno-rational platform of 'reflective practice', this platform does not provide an adequate psychological tool to explore the dynamics of social episodes in professional learning and this led us to positioning theory. Positioning theory is one such appropriate tool in which individuals metaphorically locate themselves within discursive action in everyday conversations to do with personal positioning, institutional practices and societal rhetoric. This paper develops the case for researching social episodes in clinical education through professional conversations where midwifery students, in practice settings, are encouraged to account for their moment-by-moment interactions with their preceptors/midwives and university mentors. It is our belief that the reflection elaborated by positioning theory should be considered as the new epistemology for professional education where professional conversations are key to transformative learning processes for persons and institutions.

Discourses of deception: cheating in professional running

Cheating, it is claimed, is anathema to sport. But is this the case? In this paper it is argued that cheating is integral to modern sport, that the model of sport as 'fair play' is simply an ideological guise of amateurism. The paper focuses on the sport of professional running which, since its origins in the eighteenth century, has been a gambling sport. Strategies involving cheating to manipulate wins, or losses, have featured in this sport as ways of increasing the probability of striking successful wagers. Such strategies are an accepted part of professional running: participants anticipate and expect others to be playing it in this way. However, a distinction is made between what is referred to in the paper as 'clean' cheating and 'dirty' cheating. The former is an accepted way of the sport, the latter occurs but is deprecated. The paper explores these different forms of cheating and the athletes' responses to them. Through a focus on the discourses of success in capitalist society, a model of cheating is developed to interpret such practices. Within the context of professional running, a working class sport, it is argued that, given the habitus of its practitioners, 'success' may be measured in terms of monetary gains and the 'kick-on' in life that these might provide. Cheating practices may serve to enhance the probability of success and social mobility. Given the relatively short career spans of sports people and the costs involved in developing the requisite skills, cheating may promote success and establish a financial base for post-sport careers. The paper concludes that cheating in sport can be anticipated as a feature of an acquisitive capitalist society.

Weight management and weight loss strategies of professional jockeys

Jockeys are required to maintain very low body weight and precise weight control during competition. This study examined the weight loss and weight management strategies of professional horseracing jockeys in the state of Victoria, Australia. An anonymous, self-completed questionnaire was administered (55 % response rate, n = 116). Almost half (43 %) reported that maintaining riding weight was difficult or very difficult, with 75 % routinely skipping meals. In preparation for racing, 60 % reported that they typically required additional weight loss, with 81 % restricting food intake in the 24 hours prior to racing. Additionally, sauna-induced sweating (29 %) and diuretics (22 %) were frequently employed to further aid in weight loss prior to racing. These rapid weight loss methods did not differ between the 51 % of jockeys who followed a weight management plan compared to those who did not. The impact of these extreme weight loss practices on riding performance and health remains unknown.

Caught up in the teaching-training divide: confusing professional identities

The adult education sector in Australia has undergone significant changes in recent years including a shift towards the marketisation of education and the delivery of highly prescriptive Vocational Education and Training (VET). This article reports on research that explored the ways in which educators in the adult sector understand their work and identify as professionals in this changed context. The findings of the study suggest that educators who have work histories as “teachers” strongly resist the ways in which the current discourses of VET position them as “trainers”. Data from interviews with educators and observations of them at work are analysed to highlight the ways in which they understand teaching and training as binary opposites. I examine the consequences of teachers investing in a rigid and  uncompromising teaching/training binary and argue that it is counterproductive to their forging new identities in a changed education context.

`Absolutely professional development`: a case of gender inclusive ideals and realities

In this article, I focus on the significance of the professional development ideals and realities of 'resourcing' and 'reflectivity' for the transformative potential of gender inclusive policy in the changing context of the state of Victoria, Australia. The data is selected from a wider longitudinal case study that investigates conceptualisation and enactment of gender inclusive schooling in primary schools since 1975. I assess this example of continuing teacher education by discussing the standpoint of interviewed inservice educators from a feminist perspective.

Predictors of the strain experienced by professional Australian footballers

The purpose of this model was to examine whether both the generic dimensions of the Job stress model (JSM) and job-specific stressors would be predictive of the strain experienced by professional Australian footballers. A football-specific stressor scale questionnaire was distributed and football specific stressors and their impact were identified.