Abstract: The researchers conducted a study to compare self-reported changes in both frequency and quality of performance of nursing behaviours in a cohort of recently graduated nurses undertaking a one year entry to practice programme. Thirty-three nurses were surveyed, seven weeks after beginning the programme and again seven months later, using a modified version of Schwirian's (1978) Six-Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance (6-DSNP). Over the study period participants reported significant increases in frequency of performance for the domains of leadership, critical care, teaching/collaboration, and planning/evaluation. Significant increases in the quality of nurse behaviours in the domains of critical care, planning/evaluation and interpersonal relations/communication were also reported. The modified Schwirian 6-DSNP was found to be a useful instrument for measuring nurses' self reporting of performance during periods of transition.

Abstract: This paper continues presentation of the findings of a North Island based research project that explored the impact of clinically focused postgraduate education on advancing nursing practice. Like their international counterparts, increasing numbers of New Zealand nurses are enrolling in advanced practice programmes. Yet, despite international evidence supporting the usefulness of Masters level preparation for advancing clinical practice, questions about the need for such development persist. This paper argues that postgraduate education contributes to the development of courage and that this, in turn, is essential to overcoming the barriers that currently constrain the advancement of nursing practice.

Abstract: Part of an international project, the aim of this study was to evaluate a nurse managed primary health care clinic (Mana Health Clinic) from the perspectives of users, funders, and providers of clinical services in order to identify factors which contribute to success. The method used was Fourth Generation Evaluation (FGE) whereby, consistent with the methodological precepts of the constructivist enquiry paradigm, there was active involvement of clients in the process and outcome of the evaluation. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 13 individuals and one focus group. The data yielded four main categories: factors that contribute to success; contrasting past experience of health care with that of nurse-managed care; the effectiveness of nurse-managed care; and suggestions for change in current practice. The authors note that the results to date support a tentative conclusion of success for the clinic. As the study is on-going, summaries of the four categories were fed back to the participants for further discussion and interpretation and eventual integration with data from the similar study being undertaken in the United States. The authors conclude that this paper demonstrates how the use of an appropriate method of evaluation can itself contribute to the success of the nurse managed clinic.

Abstract: This article explores the complex nature of liability in the case of standing orders and vicarious liability by employers, and also when nurses and doctors are in management roles. The authors address misconceptions about medico-legal responsibility for nursing practice with the advent of nurse prescribers and nurse practitioners. They refer to the submission made by the College of Nurses Aotearoa (NZ) on the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act (2003), and discuss practice liability and nurse-physician collaboration.

Abstract: The authors outline the Clinical Career Pathways (CCPs) for nurses, which were first established in New Zealand during the late 1980s. This paper introduces a new instrument, the Clinical Career Pathway Evaluation Tool (CCPET) designed to assess nurses' and midwives' knowledge of and attitudes towards their Clinical Career Pathway. The 51 item instrument takes the form of a self-report questionnaire. The development of the CCPET is described and results from an initial application of the instrument with 239 nurses and midwives in a New Zealand hospital are presented. Results indicate that knowledge levels were moderate in this sample and were correlated with both positive and negative attitudes. Results of t-test comparisons indicated that, on average, the group who had already completed a CCP portfolio had greater knowledge and more positive attitudes than the group who had not.

Abstract: The author traces the nursing definition of biculturalism as it has evolved from the colonial period to the present. An examination of nursing literature demonstrates that local understandings of culture have matured beyond anthropological interpretations to a sociopolitical definition of Maori culture. The author suggests that, in nursing, culture has come to mean cultural safety.

Abstract: This research study examined the role of the public health nurse. Utilising community needs analysis method, 17 key informants and two focus groups were asked questions to determine perceptions of the public health nurse. Findings indicated that participants lacked knowledge regarding the role. Additional findings intimated that participants had difficulty in accessing public health nurse services and that 'knowing the system' was beneficial to receiving needed care. One of the major conclusions of this study was that many facets of care managed by public health nurses were invisible to the communities in which they work. Conclusions suggest that public health nurses need to enhance their service by improving accessibility to services and promoting their service in a more visible manner.