Abstract: Explores through semi-structured, in-depth interviews how 11 nurses working at Christchurch Hospital experienced menopause in the workplace and in their personal lives. Uses thematic analysis to highlight how the stigma surrounding menopause led to the nurses' fear of being treated as a menopausal woman, rather than as a professional.

Abstract: Home Based Treatment in acute mental health care is a relatively new phenomenon in New Zealand, although it has been utilised successfully overseas for many years. This paper considers factors that are integral elements of its successful implementation, specifically considering the relationship of nursing care to crisis intervention methodology. It describes how Home Based Treatment fits with contemporary crisis services and how the adherence to crisis intervention models can enable nurses to create a clearly defined recovery perspective in their practice. The author notes that service users in New Zealand and overseas have openly voiced their concerns around the discrepancies between how services have traditionally been delivered and how they wish services to be. He suggests that, as an alternative to inpatient care, Home Based Treatment is an option that promotes recovery and self determination. It is also an arena in which nurses can deconstruct the traditional power relationships between themselves and clients to create a new and invigorating way of practicing.

Abstract: Over the last century the nursing profession has drawn from numerous theories and disciplines to construct its own theoretical foundations. While this diversity and flexibility may be one of the nursing profession's strengths it may have contributed to nurses' difficulty in explaining the complexities of their every day clinical work. This is a particular challenge for the domain of mental health nursing. This dissertation discusses how nursing models that have credibility at a clinical level can contribute to informing and advancing nursing practice. Models can achieve this by assisting nurses to conceptualise and articulate what it is they do that makes a difference to patient outcomes. Through this process nurses can maintain a distinct professional identity and establish themselves as effective members of multidisciplinary health team. Specifically, the application and limitations of Godkin's (2001) proposed model of a 'healing presence' to the author's own practice in a one-to-one nurse-adolescent client relationship in the mental health nursing is examined. It is claimed that a 'healing presence' provides a meaningful way to understanding the author's own practice. The proposed model of a 'healing presence' embraces the diversity of her background, and allows the author to maintain a nursing identity by providing a nursing framework to critique her practice, furthering her understanding of what it is that 'expert' nurses do and how this impacts on patient outcomes. Also suggested is that a 'healing presence' can contribute to the author's own and other nurses advanced nursing practice by making nursing visible to the multidisciplinary health team and to articulate “what it is that I do 'when I am nursing'”. Through presenting this dissertation, the author wishes to inspire other nurses to examine and understand their own practice.

Abstract: Reports the audit of a nurse-led dyspepsia clinic at Auckland Hospital. Referrals to the Gastroenterology Department for gastroscopy were assessed in a dyspepsia clinic. Initial evaluation included consultation and a urea breath test (UBT). Patients given eradication treatment prior to initial clinic assessment were excluded. Patients with a positive UBT were given eradication treatment and were reviewed two months later for symptom assessment and follow-up UBT. Patients with a negative UBT were usually referred back to the GP. There were 173 patients with a mean age 38 years. The urea breath test was found to be useful as part of the initial assessment of selected patients who would otherwise have been referred for endoscopy. It is likely that the need for gastroscopy was reduced, but longer follow up will be required to determine whether or not this effect is simply due to delayed referral. This approach is likely to have value only in patients who have a relatively high chance of being H. pylori positive.

Abstract: Reports the findings of a review of the literature that sought to identify key barriers for indigenous tertiary nursing students in NZ. Reveals the barriers to recruitment and retention of nursing students, and strategies to overcome them. Stresses the need for partnerships between academic institutes and indigenous communities to ensure the provision of a culturally-safe environment for Maori nursing students.

Abstract: Explores and describes experiences of older women who live alone in the community, and who are often perceived by both society and health professionals as frail and dependent. Employs a qualitative descriptive methodology to underpin a survey of 5 older women living alone in their own homes, and analyses the data using a general inductive approach. Identifies 3 themes that emerge from the data.

Abstract: This dissertation explores the assessment of nurses' clinical competence in the adult ICU setting. Specifically, methods for the assessment of competence are critiqued for their practical application to the novice nurse with less than six months experience in ICU. The assessment methods considered are continuous clinical assessment, self-assessment, peer review, objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), portfolio and computer assisted assessment. Several criteria are applied to the methods including the ability of each method to assess skills, knowledge and attitudes or values. Each method is critiqued for its implications in terms of cost and staffing resource, benefits and barriers to implementation. In addition, reliability and validity issues are considered for each method. The outcome of this exploration is the recommendation of a combination of methods; namely, portfolio and OSCE, for the assessment of competence in the ICU novice. The author concludes that this finding enhances current understanding within the ICU specialty of the multidimensional nature of competence assessment.

Abstract: Investigates wheether the impact of a co-located psychological service to which Primary Care Providers cn refer patients with mild to moderate mental health needs, would impact on the well-being of the providers at work. Describes Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (FACT) services delivered by psychologists working in a a large primary care practice in the lower North Island. Conducts interviews with GPs, nurse practitioners (NP) and registered nurses (RN), analysing the data using thematic analysis. Finds an inverse relationship between the FACT service and the well-being of staff.