Margaret McAllister

Aim: To explore registered nurses' firsthand experiences of workplace adversity.Design: A qualitative exploratory, descriptive study.Methods: Data were collected from July to September 2022 using semi‐structured interviews. A purposive sample of seven registered nurses from New Zealand was used. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's six‐step thematic analysis.Results: Four themes emerged: (1) manifestations of workplace adversity, (2) professional identity and resilience, (3) coping and resilience in workplace adversity and (4) nature and characteristics of support. This study highlights the multifaceted nature of workplace adversity for nurses, impacting their physical, psychological and emotional well‐being and performance, and beyond the workplace, spilling over to their personal lives. However, nurses demonstrated resilience, drawing on past experiences and professional identity to cope. While professional development opportunities fostered growth, a supportive work environment emerged as crucial. This work environment should value diverse experiences, promote positive role models and prioritise ethical practices alongside career advancement.Conclusion: Nurses are greatly affected by various aspects of workplace adversity. Cultivating professional identity and resilience may help counter the negative effects of workplace adversity. Further research is necessary to identify organisational‐level strategies to decrease workplace adversity.Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: Healthcare organisations must prioritise safe and supportive work environments for nurses.Impact: The purpose of this research was to explore the problem of workplace adversity nurses face. Despite valuing professional identity, psychological resilience and coping mechanisms, participating registered nurses find it difficult to overcome the adverse effects of workplace adversity due to mounting demands. The results of this study are relevant when formulating policies, strategies, and programmes that can benefit nurses, healthcare institutions and patients globally.Reporting Method: The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research was used.Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. Participants were not involved in the design or conduct of the study.

More nurses than doctors killed in the Holocaust but are little studied. In Nazi ‘euthanasia’ institutional patients, with others, were killed by nurses. A German film, Fog in August (2016), tells of a boy caught in Nazi ‘euthanasia’. We piloted the film to increase knowledge about nurses in Nazi ‘euthanasia’. In Australia, 21 participants (health professionals, community members) completed pre-and-post questionnaires testing levels of knowledge. Knowledge increased – median post-score (1.75) > pre-score (1.0), median of differences 0.5 (p = 0.001). This film effectively increased knowledge, and the study methods worked. We will develop a project to teach nurses about genocides.

This paper presents the findings from a study introducing nursing students to narrative production. The aim was to use Story Theory to inspire students to intentionally collaborate with older people and produce a mini-biography of those individuals. Narrative theory was utilised in four ways: designing an educational intervention; collecting and developing older peoples’ life stories; framing an understanding of the meaning of the stories collected; analysing the significance of the storytelling approach. The paper explains the study approach and findings and outlines the benefits as well as challenges that occurred during the process. Most particularly, the anthology produced has become a tangible reminder about a clinical practice that allowed students to meet frail aged residents and come to know them as vibrant human beings.

The value of mentorship to professional development in nursing education has been consistently demonstrated in the literature. The benefits for mental health nursing are particularly noted for attracting nursing students and new graduates into this area of practice. The proliferation of online delivery of mental health nursing programs poses particular issues in providing mentorship to students. Despite changes to the mode of educational delivery, the mentorship literature primarily addresses face-to-face processes. The aim of this paper is to present a review of the literature pertaining to online mentorship. A literature search of the CinAHL, Medline, ProQuest and Google Scholar databases was undertaken to identify relevant literature. Hand searches of reference lists were also conducted. The findings demonstrate the paucity of literature addressing this topic. Evaluation of online mentorship programs are particularly scarce, small scale and usually conducted at one site only. Few descriptions of the content and structure are provided meaning that program development cannot benefit from existing knowledge and expertise. There is an urgent need for online mentorship accompanied by rigorous and systematic evaluation frameworks to maximize the benefits of mentorship to an online environment.

Working the night shift can be fraught and experienced as demanding and, yet, is often dismissed as babysitting. Few researchers have explored the social and cultural meanings of night nursing, including storytelling rituals. In 2019, a narrative study was undertaken. The aim was to explore the stories recalled by nurses about working night shifts. Thirteen Australian nurses participated. Data were gathered using the Biographical Narrative Interview Method, and narrative analysis produced forty stories and three themes: strange and challenging experiences; colleagues can be mentors (or not); and textbook knowledge is only part of what is needed on night shift. Nursing students who engage with these stories may come to understand the challenges of the night shift, and the valuable work that nurses engage in throughout a 24‐hr period, work that involves adept psychosocial and interpersonal skills alongside technical and physical competence.