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From Crisis to Crisis

Roger Watson, Professor of Nursing at the University of Hull, shares his views on the problem of retaining nurses in todays staffing crisis. Cast your mind back to a time when there was not a crisis in UK nursing…still thinking? If you were unable to recall such a time then neither was I, and I have been involved in nursing for over 40 years. We never have enough nurses in clinical practice and, whatever we do, nothing seems to work. There was a period in the 2000s when we recruited enormous numbers to university programmes (the ‘boom’) , until that proved too expensive and the government decided we could no longer sustain it (the ‘bust’) thus going, in the ...
As 2019 comes to a close, nursing students across the UK will be moving forward in their chosen career. Many will be in their final few months of their training, whilst others will have just embarked on their three-year journey. Whichever stage of their training student nurses are at, they have entered perhaps one of the most challenging and yet exciting times in recent nursing history. New nursing standards, within the UK, are replacing old, global nursing is high on the agenda and 2020 has been declared the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife by the World Health Organisation. The nursing profession has much to celebrate. There is now strong evidence to indicate ...
On 6 th November 2019 I presented my work on the Importance of Narrative in Nursing at the Phi Mu Chapter, Northern Hub meeting at Manchester Royal Infirmary. My presentation began with a short précis of the novel ‘The Death of Ivan Ilych” by Leo Tolstoy, which told the story of a man who instead of cultivating love, compassion and kindness in his life instead chose to cultivate a life of obsession; of success and of social trappings, and as he is forced to confront his own death, he realises the impact this has had on his family and his own life. Ivan Ilych is fortunate, he is cared for by his peasant servant Gerasim, who above all else, provides care and ...

Taking on a Taboo

Dr Amy Hunter shares her passion for incontinence research and the valuable support she has received being a member of Phi Mu Chapter. Researching incontinence is a passion, but it’s not one everyone shares. This blog discusses the journey so far in taking on a taboo and how Phi Mu has been instrumental to this. Undertaking research on a topic which might not be perceived as exciting by society or by health professionals comes with challenges. It’s something I learned early on in my PhD journey, when a representative of my funding body couldn’t understand why understanding more about attitudes to continence was fundamental to providing better care. From then ...
In May this year, the World Health Organization declared 2020 as the year of the nurse and the midwife. This is an amazing opportunity to showcase the wonderful work that nurses do both nationally and internationally and ensure the public recognise what a great contribution we make to nursing care. That’s not all for on 28 th June, a new global initiative was launched; the Nightingale Challenge, which seeks to encourage global employers to provide development opportunities to a group of young nurses and midwives during 2020. Why not ask what your organisation is doing to support this? As a new decade dawns it offers great opportunities for all UK nurses ...
Transitioning from student to registered nurse can be a daunting experience. Rachel Lichtensztajn.. newly registered nurse reflects on this challenging and very rewarding time in her career. Nothing prepared me for the sheer feeling of terror on that first shift of a busy hospital ward of mixed medical acuity. No longer a student, no longer supernumerary, I was part of the registered nursing team. I was assigned a bay with seven patients, and - in my mind - expected to perform at the same level as the other three nurses who had years of experience behind them. I remember thinking 'I'm not a real nurse, I'm just pretending'. 'Is it written all over me?' ...

The Value of Writing

Nurses, it is with confidence and a sense of pride that we should aspire to have our voices heard through writing for publication. Gone are the days when the only way to receive recognition was to write in peer reviewed journals. Today in this electronic world of the internet, social media, including blogging and vlogging, to name but a few, we no longer need to be constrained by the limited word count and the often-lengthy wait for peer review. Instead we can free ourselves from the chains that bind us and step into the world of publishing. There are many scholars and academics however who would disagree, and in reality, writing for the peer reviewed high-profile ...
On 19 th July Dr Kirsten Jack presented her work at a concurrent session at the Sigma: Phi Mu All-England Chapter Annual Conference on the importance of ensuring that as nurse academics we encourage meaningful reflective practice. Being an advocate of reflective practice, I was alarmed when one of our undergraduate nursing students described it as something more commonly associated with cheese. I admired her honesty, she was speaking from the heart, and I knew that she was not the only student who felt this way. Often, reflective templates, a requirement of the undergraduate nursing programme, were left only half written and I knew that many were completed ...
As a registered nurse and nurse educationalist I realise the true value of mentors who have helped me to gain personal and professional insight, have empowered me to challenge my firmly held perfectionist traits and ultimately enabled me to become a truly reflective practitioner. Mentors can help to expand nursing scholarship. Mentorship provides a unique opportunity to explore and develop positive relationships, work confidently with others and foster links between the art and science of nursing. Quality mentors support the assimilation of learning into professional practice. They are committed to the values and direction of nursing and underpin this through ...
As we celebrate the 70 th birthday of the NHS, a new campaign has been launched to transform perceptions of nursing and midwifery. The aim of this campaign is not only to raise the profile of nurses and midwives, but also to improve recruitment and retention. ‘Transforming Perceptions of Nursing and Midwifery’ was launched in May by Professor Jane Cummings, the Chief Nursing Officer for England, and includes twelve 30-day challenges to keep the momentum going for a full year. You can register for the challenges here: https://nhs70.crowdicity.com/category/26150 The next challenge is to write a blog, and so I’m using this blogging challenge to celebrate this ...

Promoting Nursing Scholarship

Having presented at the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) 4th Biennial European Conference at Anglia Ruskin on 4 th June I can speak personally of the buzz that was all around us and the great opportunity it presented to network. At such events nurses can often feel motivated to take on new roles and maintain new contacts made. Sadly however, as we move back into our everyday lives this commitment can soon fade. So why not make it this year that you do something different. Maintain those contacts, take on that role and support other nurses. One of the key note speeches made by Dr Elizabeth Madigan on the first full day of the conference told of the many ...
"Education knows no boundaries." In 2015, my journey toward open and distance education began when I took an online course on Financial Management in Nursing Practice (FMNP) at University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU). But this year, I enrolled in Research Utilization in Nursing Administration (RUNA) with a goal of becoming a research-oriented person. I was never been engaged in any research studies beside my thesis requirement but I am now gearing all my efforts for a strong research career in the years to come. Working on the course modules and participating in the forums were really exciting and fun and certainly very informative. The best ...
Interviews make most of us very nervous, because we know we're being evaluated. We have to be take steps to ensure we're putting our best foot forward in every aspect of the job search. Be sure you start by writing a great cover letter, then perfect your resume or curriculum vitae. Next, select the perfect suit to wear, ensure your hair and make-up are on the conservative side, arrive early, and have some great examples ready for the typical interview questions. Then comes what is for some, the hardest question of all, when the interviewer asks if you have any questions for them. Most know not to ask what the salary range is for the position, or how many ...
Hi... My name is susy, I like we shared knowledge about violence in dating relationships. In my country the statistics are increse, I would know if someone are interesting about it.
My Exciting and Rewarding Journey toward Online Education “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” Anthony J. D’Angelo The story behind my first online education at UPOU. Learning is a continuous process. It is a lifetime commitment. Clueless, I don’t know where I got this strong desire to advance my studies after earning my college degree in Nursing. At the age of 26, I earned my doctoral degree in Education and I thought it would end there. Four years later, I felt that my passion for learning has faded. This feeling inspired me to get started once again. However, traditional classes were no longer an option ...

Apology to Nurses

Nurses have been long enough dealing with devaluation, and most of us try to prove the opposite in defensive and sometimes ineffective ways! well, if we think about it, most of the people, no matter how high is their social, professional, personal or academic status face lack of respect at some point in their life. So, it is not specific to certain profession, ethnicity or else. It is the nature of human being that tends to impulsively judge, or subjectively stereotype before logically, maturely and objectively analyze. Hence, if we take the occasional scorning looks or sarcastic comments from our fellow health care team members à la légère; if we focus on ...

Syrian Crisis Fundraiser

Hello all, My name is Rosi Patel. I live in Atlanta, GA. I am currently in the Chamberlain College of Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner program. I am exciting to become a member of the Phi Pi chapter. I wanted to introduce myself and ask for your support. My husband is a co-founder for a non-profit called Indian Givers. We are holding a donation and fundraising drive to support the refugees from the Syrian crisis. The Syria’s civil war is thought to be the worst humanitarian disaster of our time. Indian Givers recognizes more than 11 to 12 million innocent civilians (50% of Syria's population) are displaced from their homes ...
Hello friends, please I need your vote for an award for the best foreign female student in Ghana. Directory on how to vote: Open the link below & click on "view Web version" By your left is my category (best foreign female student of the year, select AGUNWA BLESSING IFUNANYA (West End University College) & click vote. Www.nsaghana.blogspot.com Thanks for voting Please share
Critical conversations about end-of-life can be some of the most uncomfortable, emotionally-packed, family and patient interactions a medical provider can have. Many people avoid critical conversations because they are so discomforting but these types of interactions with family can be the best experience of their time in the hospital. It is a time to focus on honesty, compassion, care, facts, education and patient advocacy. These conversations should happen as an outpatient while everyone is healthy, before anything emergent happens. However, these conversations are frequently, and unfortunetly, left for the last moments of someone's life when the family and ...