Russell Gurbutt

The nursing associate (NA) role was introduced in 2017 with a pilot programme of trainees, and in 2019 became regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The role bridges the gap between the healthcare assistant (HCA) and registered nurse (RN), allowing RNs to focus on complex care. With over 9000 NAs on the NMC register and more in training, it is important to understand RN perceptions of the NA professional identity. The findings of a qualitative survey of RNs (n=23) identified the following themes: NMC standards and scope of practice; The 'cheap nurse'; Skills development and progression; A supportive bridging role. Although valued, the role was perceived as a threat, ambiguous and inconsistently implemented. The implications are that the role ambiguity and lack of standardisation need addressing and a clear understanding of these must be articulated for the professions and public alike.The nursing associate (NA) role was introduced in 2017 with a pilot programme of trainees, and in 2019 became regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The role bridges the gap between the healthcare assistant (HCA) and registered nurse (RN), allowing RNs to focus on complex care. With over 9000 NAs on the NMC register and more in training, it is important to understand RN perceptions of the NA professional identity. The findings of a qualitative survey of RNs (n=23) identified the following themes: NMC standards and scope of practice; The 'cheap nurse'; Skills development and progression; A supportive bridging role. Although valued, the role was perceived as a threat, ambiguous and inconsistently implemented. The implications are that the role ambiguity and lack of standardisation need addressing and a clear understanding of these must be articulated for the professions and public alike.

Purpose This paper aims to present an examination of selected literature about the lived experiences of those with emetophobia. Its intention is to inform further empirical enquiry and subsequent approaches to treatment and care aimed at inclusive support for sufferers. To that end, it is important to bring the sufferers' narrative into public and professional domains. Design/methodology/approach A systematic search of multiple databases using the search engine Discover@bolton and grey literature was undertaken to obtain evidence about the lived experiences of people with emetophobia. The search terms used were "emetophobia" and combinations of associated topic phrases using Boolean operators (AND / OR): "Emetophobia" OR "fear of vomiting" OR "fear of being sick", Emetophobia AND "lived experiences" and finally Emetophobia OR "fear of vomiting" OR "fear of being sick" AND "lived experiences". Eight papers were included in the review and five items of grey literature. Findings Several themes were identified in this literature including fear, escape and avoidance, other influences, consequences and medicalisation. The findings reveal that the experiences of those with emetophobia are subsumed beneath a focus on diagnosis and treatment. When it comes to understanding the actual lived experience of a person with emetophobia, the evidence presents the reader with what treatment may work and how they might respond to it, but largely omits the voice of the individual with emetophobia. This signals a need to undertake enquiry to bring this to the fore and so inform ways of greater inclusive practice for the public and professionals alike. Research limitations/implications The evidence reviewed in this paper can be noted for the limited discussion about the individual's lived experience of emetophobia. Gaining insight into this would contribute to raising awareness in a wider public arena and inform carers and healthcare professionals' understanding. It would also display the importance of an individual context and health journey. Practical implications Knowing this can inform approaches to helping an individual either to live with the phobia and manage its impact on daily living (positive rather than maladaptive coping mechanisms) or to overcome it with or without adjunct medical treatment (if this is possible). Social implications Knowing based on contemporary empirical enquiry will inform policy and guideline development. Whatever course is taken, it must contribute to steps being taken towards achieving a better quality of life for individual sufferers. The findings of this paper likewise inform the need for further study into the individual lived experience of emetophobia. Originality/value This paper is original in having identified a need to bring empirical evidence of the lived experience of sufferers with emetophobia into the public and professional domain.

Emotional intelligence (EI) is considered essential to nursing practice, but it is unclear how best to support nursing students to develop EI skills. This article details a literature review that was undertaken to explore EI in preregistration nurse education and to identify effective methods for developing nursing students’ EI skills. A total of 12 articles were included in the review, from which data were extracted, compared and categorised. Three main areas were identified regarding EI in preregistration nurse education: EI constructs, EI components and EI teaching methods.
The review found that a range of EI constructs and components may be included in nurse education curricula, meaning that there is often inconsistency in the approaches used. Classroom teaching methods were primarily used, alongside online methods and experiential methods such as simulation-based learning. The findings of the review suggest there is a need for greater consistency in the EI constructs and components used in preregistration nurse education, as well as further research to determine which EI teaching methods are most effective.

As a Senior Lecturer teaching students who have worked fulltime and on the frontline in the NHS and social sector during the pandemic, I have witnessed how it has affected their learning. Understandably, these students were fatigued, anxious and witnessed traumatic events as Trainee Nursing Associates. These students were well-supported in terms of personal tutoring as well as signposting to Life lounge and other external agencies; however, I feel as lecturers we need to embed wellbeing into the curriculum and modules.

During the COVID-19 pandemic universities around the globe were forced to transition from face-to-face teaching to remote, online learning. This was always intended to be a short-term solution until physical doors re-opened and face-to-face teaching recommenced. However, the challenges of the sudden transition to online teaching also resulted in innovative and creative teaching and learning tools and practices which came with unexpected benefits and opportunities. The recognition of this has resulted in transformations within post-COVID teaching and learning strategies.



The purpose of the case studies in this book is to identify innovative transitions across all faculties and schools of a Higher Education institution in the UK – the University of Bolton – and how these are driving the development of new forms of blended and hybrid teaching and learning approaches.

Background: Although student nurses are expected to demonstrate and show understanding of compassion in their learning and practice, literature suggests that this is not always the case. To address this, nursing students need to be introduced to the value and behaviours of compassion during their education. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of an online course to help nursing students develop their strengths and further validate the Bolton Compassion Strengths Indicators. Design: A pre-and post-mixed methods non-randomised pilot study. Setting: A university in the north west of England. Participants: A sample of first year undergraduate nursing students (67), in two groups, with 33 in the online control and 34 in the on-site group. Methods: Both groups took part in the Short Compassion Strengths Course (SCSC). The online group took the course in their own time over a 3-week period, while the on-site group completed the course during their time at University. In both groups baseline assessments were carried out using the Bolton Compassion Strengths Indicator (BCSI). Post-test data were collected 3 weeks after in the online group and immediately after in the on-site group, for the BCSI and reflective accounts. Data were analysed using ANOVA in SPSS27. Results: The online group did not complete the course but filled out the questionnaires. The on-site group had significantly higher scores on all indicators but self-care and engagement. Conclusions: The SCSC is an effective course for teaching and developing compassion strengths when delivered on-site. This paper adds further validity for the BCSI.

Despite considerable research and rhetoric on the importance of compassion in nursing, progress has been hindered by the lack of an adequate psychometric instrument to measure its multidimensional nature. This paper reports several studies conducted over three stages, to develop and validate a new instrument to measure nurses’ compassion strengths. A purposive sample of UK pre-registered nursing students studying at a University took part in this study. The eight indicators highlight the multidimensional nature of compassion. The Bolton Compassion Strengths Indicators (BCSIs) demonstrated robust psychometric properties and could provide the means by which nursing students can empower themselves, as they strive to develop their professional identity as compassionate practitioners. This new measure will also help other researchers and educators who wish to study the development of compassion strengths in nursing.

The development of professional values is a current issue in nursing. The newly regulated Nursing Associate (NA) education programme was developed following significant UK service failings in the past decade. A previous study had explored new students' self-rating and associated rationale of professional values and their meaning. That showed a perceived lack of understanding of the terminology used around this. This paper reports on a further study to explore learners' accounts of professional values to provide insights into the embodiment of these after one year of learning.
Findings revealed that respondents defined the terms about professional values (honesty, compassion, conscientious, caring, and competent) majoring on compassionate practice as allied with thinking about being person-focused. Conscientious Care delivery is understood as being accountable and committed whilst competent practice is grounded in being both accountable and educated. Honesty was defined as being truthful and open. Caring was reported as a characteristic, suggesting embodiment of a value and something that was performed, i.e. it translates intention into practice. This might indicate a 'job to be done' rather than an embodied characteristic. Emotions were also reported as a minor aspect of caring, perhaps indicating that learning to become professional includes keeping control of emotional expression, which is compounded by kindness reported as a minor feature in compassion and caring descriptions.
This study contributes insights for programme teams to inform curriculum interventions to develop professional values and highlights a need to have a close alignment with practice educator counterparts so that the student experience of professional values is consistent. Compared to previous research [1] this indicates that over one year students have progressed to develop a view of what a professional (NA) looks like - i.e. an accountable, committed and educated, person-focused individual who has an identity of performing care. It also suggests a learning development from understanding and performing professional values leading to internalization and embodiment by the point of registration.

AIMS:
To explore stakeholder perspectives of compassion in nursing.
BACKGROUND:
Studies show that nurses' compassion can be characterized by 11 characteristics. A growing body of research illustrates how courses aimed at teaching nursing students about compassion can be effective. Including the views of key stakeholders in the design of these programmes is recommended, yet the number of studies that have explored this are limited.
DESIGN:
This study used a qualitative exploratory design, applying a directed content and thematic analysis to the data.
METHODS:
Key stakeholders (N = 34), including nurse educators, nursing students, registered nurses and service user/patients, were recruited between September 2016 - July 2017. Focus groups and semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted. Data were transcribed verbatim. Directed content analysis and thematic analysis were applied to transcripts to address two separate research questions.
RESULTS:
In relation to question 1, 'What are the characteristics of a compassionate nurse'? eight themes: (a) character; (b) self-care; (c) connection; (d) empathy; (e) interpersonal skills; (f) communication; (g) competence; and (h) engagement, emerged from the content analysis. For question 2, 'How can compassion be taught to nursing students'? there were five separate themes that emerged from the thematic analysis: (a) beliefs about teaching compassion; (b) motivation; (c) the 5 W's needed to teach compassion to nursing students; (d) barriers to compassion in practice; and (e) compassion requires strength CONCLUSION: The findings of this research support previous research into compassion in nursing. The Compassion Strengths model may serve as a framework for nursing students and nurses' compassionate practice. This may also assist nurses internationally to develop further research in this vital area.

This article considers student feedback and its interpretation in relation to developing students' personal development planning. At the outset of professional education required values and behaviours might not be in evidence. Student feedback can be used as a point for learning so that values and preferences that are not a ‘given’ can be given the space needed to enable communication skills, empathy and compassion to grow. We should anticipate that not everyone has these at the outset of professional education and honesty in identifying through feedback what is lacking is a good starting point to develop individualised student support.