Nurse Manifest
2003 research study
In January of 2003 we launched a new international study titled
"Nurses Perceptions of Practicing
Nursing: International Perspectives." Groups of nurses met
to explore what it is like to practice nursing, and what changes are needed to
practice nursing as they wish to practice. The group summaries to date were reviewed at the Nurse Manifest gathering in Boulder, Colorado on June 5,
2003.
At the June 5 gathering, we realized that we would like to include additional
groups, particularly from countries other than the U.S. If you would like
to participate, we will continue to incorporate group reports through October,
2003.
If you would like to be involved in this study, read the
Abstract
below. If you would like to be a group leader, you will need to complete
the
Group Leader Consent Form.
If you would like to be a group participant, your participation in the group
constitutes your consent.
Each
group leader will organize up to 3
group discussions. You can see specific information about organizing and
leading a group in the Group Leader
Guidelines. Leader will share with participants the
Information Sheet for Group Participants
and the
Guidelines for Groups
that gives everyone in the group
detailed information about the study.
Everyone in the group
will put together the information that
your group wishes to contribute to the study. Group leaders will then send
the group's conclusions to the study coordinator, Peggy Chinn.
Information Sheet for Group Participants
Guidelines for Groups
Group Leader Guidelines
Interested in the Group Leader role? Go to
NurseManifest Consent
If you have any questions,
contact Peggy Chinn for more
information.
The group leaders are beginning to prepare a synthesis of all of the group
discussions, and we will post a report of this summary here. There will be
additional opportunities to participate in similar studies, so if you are
interested in this work, please contact
Peggy Chinn
Abstract
The purposes of
this study are to 1) explore nurses' perceptions of the circumstances of their
work life from many different national and international regions, and 2)
describe changes nurses envision that would nurture their ability to practice
nursing as they wish to practice.
While there are
studies that address organizational cultures and nurse job satisfaction, the
predominant focus in the literature reflects a primary concern for
institutional (largely economic) interests in retaining nurses, improving
patient satisfaction (and in turn increasing revenue), and reducing costly
negative situations such as errors, absenteeism, etc. There are no reports of
studies that focus primarily on the interests of nurses themselves.
The design of this
study is an emancipatory design with the aim of discovering that which is not
yet known in order to transform the conditions of the status quo. Nurses
worldwide will be invited through several different nursing web sites and word
of mouth to conduct focus groups in their local communities. A guideline for
the groups will be provided to all interested nurses.
Each group will
meet up to 3 times to address the questions: What is it like to practice
nursing today? What changes do you envision that would nurture your ability to
practice nursing as you wish to practice? The guidelines for the groups
suggest using codifications -- drawings, photographs, poems, and other
representations, that make abstract conditions of nurses’ experiences
concrete. The group guidelines provide suggestions for the groups to
develop themes that represent their work situations, and to explore actions
that would be required to change the status quo.
Each group leader
will send a consensus summary to the researcher. The only identifying
information that will be retained with the consensus summary will be the
country in which the group was located.
An international
gathering of Nurse Manifest participants will be held on June 5, 2003 in
Boulder, Colorado to compose a global analysis of the results that have been
submitted for the project. The expected outcomes of the emancipatory process
in the groups is the emergence of new perception, the development of new
knowledge and awareness, which in turn lead to action to change the
circumstances of one's situation. The analysis that will emerge from the data
of the study will include an explicit description of conditions in many
different locations, and the processes that are envisioned to lead to action
and change.
While the results
of this study are not intended to be generalizable to all nurses, the insights
that will emerge from the study will provide additional evidence of nurses’
perceptions of the conditions of their work, and the changes that are needed
to make possible the best of nursing care.
