Italy, Qatar, and back to the UK

EN ROUTE TO MANCHESTER—After a 4 a.m. start, I’m having breakfast in the luxurious Al Mourjan Business Lounge in Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. I’m also reflecting on yet another month spent largely away from home as I watch my diary fill up with travel well beyond the middle of the year.

My flight to Doha was aboard the fabulous Boeing Dreamliner plane, and the picture shown below, which I took en route from Manchester, England to Doha, shows its unique wing shape against an extraordinarily blue sky. As I write this, I am about to return to Manchester from Doha, aboard Qatar Airways Flight QR46. 

Italy

Wing tip of the
Boeing Dreamliner

Earlier this month, I spent a week in Genoa, Italy at the University of Genoa, which I visit regularly. The weather in Italy was beginning to warm up, which was a change from a cold and dull UK. On this occasion, Mark Hayter, PhD, RN, FAAN, my Hull colleague, was there, making his second visit. Since we both edit the Journal of Advanced Nursing, we often share our experience of writing for publication with colleagues and students. It’s a good double act, as we complement each other methodologically across the quantitative-qualitative spectrum.

One of my tasks on this visit was to inaugurate a series of international lectures for final-year nursing students, and I was asked to talk about writing for publication. I am really not sure how relevant this is to all of them, but I emphasised the bad things we academics get up to by way of cheating with regard to publications: plagiarism, duplication, fabrication, falsification, creation of bogus webpages and publications, and subversion of the peer-review system. Frankly, they loved it.

Qatar

Spotted on Professor
Gray's noticeboard

My return to the UK today follows a few days of visiting the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Doha. This visit was built around several lectures, workshops, and tutorials on writing for publication, and I was there at the invitation of Richard Gray, PHD, RN. Gray is an editor of the Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, also from the Wiley stable. 

Hamad Medical Corporation is, primarily, a private company that provides medical care on an impressive scale to the population of Qatar. It is not an educational or research institution but has a very active education department led by Annie Topping, PhD, RN, one of my long-time friends in nursing. I may have mentioned this in a previous entry, but I was a student nurse on the ward that Topping managed at St. James Hospital in London when I did my ward management assessment. We go back a long way.

In addition to the work, which starts at 7 a.m. in Qatar, I visited The Pearl, a housing complex mainly occupied by expatriates. The HMC owns two blocks there for its employees. Over a barbecue and speaking with friends, I gained more insight into expatriate lifestyle in Qatar, which, I imagine, is similar across the Middle East.

In a country that is nomadic in origin but now extremely urbanised, the expatriates are the nomads. Few spend a long time here, but most have spent a long time away from their native countries in expatriate communities. Similar communities can be found in Hong Kong and Singapore. Although expatriate life offers great rewards, it also requires great sacrifices, and I am not sure if it is a life I would have liked to lead. On the final day, I gave a lecture titled “Tips on successful publishing,” which you can listen to in this podcast.

Next month, the Middle East beckons again. I note that my 50-page passport has only one page left. and it is only four years old. My priority on returning to the UK is to obtain a new passport, or I will not be going anywhere.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. Comments are moderated. Those that promote products or services will not be posted.

Tense days in Hong Kong

HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT—It cannot have escaped any reader’s notice that Hong Kong has been volatile lately. My introduction to the “Umbrella Movement” was pictures of tear gas and riot police on BBC news reports. I instantly recognised Hong Kong’s administrative district, known as Central, thus the #OccupyCentral hashtag on Twitter.

Having been in Hong Kong for a week, I made sure I visited the site of the protesters, now relocated slightly to the district of Admiralty. It was a moving occasion. I was moved because I was here with my wife in 2003 when protesters first took to the streets—peacefully—and a million people marched through Admiralty and Central. I was impressed by the fact that the protesters made room for the bus we were on. We were traveling in the opposite direction, and they simply parted and let us through.

Protesters occupy Admiralty district of Hong Kong.

Umbrella Movement banner at the university.

Night view above Umbrella Movement protesters.

This time round, things have been brought to a standstill. Pictures that accompany this entry show some of the scenes I photographed. My government has been quiet about all this, except to express that Mainland China—to whom sovereignty was transferred in 1997—is showing restraint. Ironically, citizens of Hong Kong now have more democracy—albeit limited—then under British colonial rule. We did not allow them to vote at all.

Why we are here

As usual for this time of year, I have been teaching, together with Mark Hayter, PhD, RN, FAAN, my University of Hull colleague, at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU). It was a delight to be accompanied by Theofanis Fotis, PhD, senior lecturer, School of Health Sciences, from the University of Brighton. I first met Theo in Singapore (blog passim), and it was good fun to show him our version of Hong Kong.

Mark and I taught first-year students in HKPU’s Master of Nursing programme, dividing qualitative methods (Mark) and quantitative methods (me) between us. We also consulted with second-year students about their research projects.

I made a point of asking each group about the Umbrella Movement, and the reactions and responses were interesting. In typical Hong Kong fashion—modest, quiet, and unobtrusive, especially with “seniors”—they were reluctant to talk, but when I said I had visited the protesters, they opened up. Most had joined in at some point. Uncertain about the future, they were hopeful that nothing violent would take place. It is not my “fight,” but I am not hopeful. I cannot envisage China bending at all, and I worry, if it continues, how it will end.

Frequent flyers

Mark and I entertained Linda Sim, the head of Cathay Pacific’s frequent flyer Marco Polo Club—to dinner. We make this a regular feature of our visits to Hong Kong, to thank her and her team for excellent individualised service and to raise any concerns and questions we have. Frequent flying is serious business. We went to another of Hong Kong’s high-rise restaurants, Wooloomooloo Prime in Tsim Tsa Tsui. The view was stunning.

Buildings in Hong Kong are, for the most part, confusing to navigate—even after many years. Mark and I both had the experience of leaving our offices to attend a meeting, with a destination office number written on a slip of paper, only to realise after wandering about for a while that the meetings were being held in our own offices. If I told you Mark knocked on his own door, you would not believe me, but he did.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. Comments are moderated. Those that promote products or services will not be posted.

Finland to United Kingdom to Bahrain

MANAMA, Bahrain—There could be no greater contrast than between the lush greenness and clean air of Finland and the scorched, dehydrated, and dusty landscape of Bahrain. That contrast is even more striking when you have only 24 hours between the two places with a very short visit home. The visit home was even shorter than planned, due to being stranded in Helsinki by one airline, having to transfer to another airline and another city in the UK, and finding my way home after public transport was closed. Such are the joys of international travelling, which some look upon in envy. As ever, I thoroughly enjoy what I do around the world, but the process of getting there can be tedious.

Finland

I was in Turku, as I was last year at this time, to give sessions on writing for publication to postgraduate research students at the University of Turku. This time, it was a Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN) show, as I was with fellow editor and Hull colleague Mark Hayter, PhD, FAAN, professor of sexual and reproductive health at the University of Hull. The sessions were enjoyable, and the students interacted well.

The weather was fantastic, the food excellent, and it is always good to catch up with international colleagues. If there is a link between Turku and Bahrain, it is the open-access journal I edit, Nursing Open. One of the editors, Riitta Suhonen, PhD, RN, works in Turku, and, here in Bahrain, I am with Seamus Cowman, PhD, FAAN, who is now head of nursing at RCSI Bahrain, affiliated with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). Cowman is another editor of Nursing Open and, incidentally, the first Irish nurse to be elected a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Bahrain

Bahrain continues to develop since my previous visit and, despite the desiccated landscape and dusty Middle Eastern backdrop, it has paradisiacal elements as land is reclaimed along the coast and small, exclusive communities emerge. I should be used to living in hotels—not all of which are five-star, believe me—but the luxury of the Gulf Hotel, Bahrain, and the tranquility and service of its Platinum Club provide an insight into a lifestyle that, but for generous hosts, I will never be able to afford. The dilemma is: Do you eschew it for fear of getting used to it and missing it; or do you indulge, knowing it will rarely be on offer again? As I stare out over the night lights of Bahrain from the top floor of the hotel and the waitress pours me another (free) drink, I think you see how I solved the dilemma. I’m going to miss this one day!

The purpose of my visit to Bahrain is to work as an external examiner on the master’s in nursing programme at the RCSI. I examine the same programme in Dublin, and part of the job is to ensure that the same standards are applied in both locations, on behalf of the RCSI and on behalf of the National University of Ireland, which is the degree-awarding body.

The Nursing Open theme continues, as one of the editorial board members, Catherine McCabe, PhD, RN, assistant professor, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, arrives today in her capacity as external examiner for the undergraduate nursing programme. I am very pleased that my contract has been extended for another year and that I will also be starting as an examiner next month at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. By sheer coincidence, my fellow examiner is none other than Cowman from RCSI. The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), is represented here by the relatively newly formed Rufaida Honor Nursing Society, which is seeking to become a full chapter of STTI. Catherine O'Neill, senior lecturer, RCSI Bahrain, played a major role in establishing it, along with local colleagues.

Running, climbing, and football

My efforts to get out on the rocks are being thwarted by an inordinate amount of travel, both in and out of the United Kingdom. This is probably the busiest year of my life. However, I continue to train indoors, and combine rock climbing with running. Finland was a joy to run in, but my 0530 run today in 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) to avoid the sun, had me almost at my physiological limits. I don’t understand why this should make your legs feel as if they had lead weights attached. In addition, the expatriate workers waiting for their transport to work shared incredulous looks as I panted past. To make a living, they are forced to work in this heat. I could be in bed in an air-conditioned room.

Finally, the UK football (soccer) season has ended, and the highlight of the English season, the Football Association (FA) Cup included, for the first time in the club’s 110-year history “The Tigers,” my local Hull City team. The match was played at Wembley, the 90,000-seat national football stadium in North London. The opposition was the mighty Arsenal, a North London club, and 25,000 of us made the journey south to watch the game, including the three Watsons pictured.

We lost, but only after taking a 2-0 lead and taking them into a period of extra time. Nobody expected that, and I think we were happier than the Arsenal fans. We stayed to see Prince William award the FA Cup runners-up medals and departed, elated. My voice took a week to recover, and I look back on what was, surely, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. Comments are moderated. Those that promote products or services will not be posted.

Anybody NOT in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong SAR, China—My first 2014 visit to Hong Kong was busy, mainly because so many other UK nursing academics were here. The list included: Hugh McKenna, CBE, PhD, FRCN, FAAN, pro-vice-chancellor (research and innovation), University of Ulster, UK; Dame Jill Macleod Clark, DBE, PhD, FRCN, professor of nursing, University of Southampton, UK; and Dawn Freshwater, PhD, RN, pro-vice-chancellor, University of Leeds, UK (soon to become deputy vice-chancellor, University of Western Australia). McKenna chairs the Research Excellence Framework’s subpanel for dentistry, allied health professions, nursing, and pharmacy, on which Macleod Clark, Freshwater, and I sit, and McKenna and Macleod Clark will serve on The Lancet Commission on UK Nursing, which I will chair. It’s a very small world.

Laifuyu/iStock/Thinkstock

Of course, we had to have dinner, and we were joined at Felix, one of Hong Kong’s most exclusive “high-level” restaurants (located at the tower atop world-famous Peninsula Hotel), by Kay Jones, MBA, chief operating officer, School of Health Sciences, City University London, UK, and Philip Esterhuizen, PhD, RN, lecturer in adult nursing, University of Leeds. The view over the harbour to Hong Kong island is eye-watering, the food to die for (I don’t think I have ever used that expression before), and the service unobtrusive and immaculate. The washrooms are a triumph, with surprises for both genders (best Googled rather than explained).

Amidst all this luxury dining and fun, this impromptu type of meeting, which involves colleagues who are as busy or more busy than me, is crucial. We have to take these opportunities, as nobody else provides them. Held without agenda, aims, or objectives, they are the most productive. Untrammelled by organisational issues, hierarchy, or the need to list tangible, bean-counting outcomes, such as how does this benefit my university, these gatherings are the time to discuss the state of nursing, the future of nursing, and who we need to cultivate. Of course, the Chatham House Rule applies, and what is said by whom at these tables stays at these tables.

Once again, I was in Hong Kong with Mark Hayter, PhD, FRSA, FAAN, my colleague from Hull and fellow editor of Journal of Advanced Nursing. Although we were teaching and consulting at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, our time here allows us to set up lunches and dinners with key people in the SAR (Special Administrative Region) and to extend the influence of our own work with the Journal of Advanced Nursing and the University of Hull. We also took time while in Hong Kong to meet Linda Sim, manager of the Marco Polo Club, the frequent-flyer privileges club associated with Cathay Pacific Airways. We dined at Hutong, another high level Chinese restaurant overlooking Hong Kong harbour, and were joined by Graeme Smith, PhD, RN, professor of nursing at Edinburgh Napier University, UK, and editor of Journal of Clinical Nursing, based in Hong Kong.

Recognition at last

This month, Alzheimer’s Disease International published a report, Nutrition and Dementia, in which my work on the development of the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia (EdFED) scale is cited. I was very pleased to see this, as it may increase the use of the EdFED and stimulate further research. It also reminded me how grateful I am for long-standing collaborations in the development and application of the EdFED, especially with Ian Deary, PhD, FRSE, FBA, professor, The University of Edinburgh, UK, and Li-Chan Lin, PhD, RN, professor, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.

While in Hong Kong, I resided out in the New Territories, to the North of Hong Kong, where I found a running route along the reservoir in Sha Tin. It was cold this time of year and humid—not ideal for running, but still a great way to start the day and to register another 20 miles over five days in my wife-imposed half-marathon training program me.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. Comments are moderated. Those that promote products or services will not be posted.

Heat, humidity, and innovation

HONG KONG—The ability of Hong Kong residents to fall asleep instantly on a train and awaken at their station amazes me. This week, I am living in Sha Tin, in the New Territories of Hong Kong, and commuting to Hung Hom to work at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU). The 20-minute train journey, which begins at Lo Wu, on the border with mainland China, is packed in the mornings. Those who get a seat simply close their eyes and sleep. Most of those standing stare at the screen of their mobile phone. I simply cannot imagine the Far East and Southeast Asia before the mobile phone. It is the same wherever I go in this part of the world. Whether in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong or Taiwan, the people’s dedication to mobile technology puts even my own technology-addicted children to shame.

Hong Kong Polytechnic University is a lively place. Recruitment days, graduations, celebrations—there is always something happening in its concourses. In a decade of visiting this campus, I cannot recall a time when there was not a new building being erected. To the present, these have always been in neat red brick. However, the most recent addition is Innovation Tower, which is drawing attention in the design world.

Innovation is a key word here, and it is also demonstrated in the exclusive Hotel ICON, built by HKPU to train students of hotel management in the environment of a five-star luxury hotel. The basement Asian buffet is great for lunch and, over dinner, the views from the high-level Above & Beyond are fabulous. HKPU has recently entered the Twittersphere and has been tweeting about our visit and our seminars.

The schedule at HKPU is heavy. I am here with my University of Hull colleague Mark Hayter, PhD, RN, to teach in a preregistration master’s nursing programme. But teaching here is not the same as back home. In the Far East and Southeast Asia, it is rare for students to ask questions in class; they would never dream of interrupting you. Instead, they queue up after the lecture and ask questions, individually. Generating audience participation is virtually impossible, and the most direct question is usually met with silence. This difference in culture is one adjustment you have to make to your teaching here; everything is very formal.

Alex Molasiotis

Students enrolled in the programme are all graduates and employees of the prestigious Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital. Luckily, the hospital has requested that some of the teaching be provided by international scholars, so, for several years, we have visited twice annually. The students are bright and challenging, with varied academic backgrounds. They are a pleasure to teach and have no difficulty asking questions, but always after the lecture. I was pleased to hear from Alex Molasiotis, PhD, RN, head of the school of nursing, that the contract has been renewed for a few years.

Mark Hayter focuses on qualitative methods and I on quantitative methods. Therefore, my sessions cover the concepts of measurement, study designs, and statistics. I also give a presentation to new intakes of master’s and undergraduate students on a systematic approach to studying anatomy and physiology. This is something I want to work up into a more concise presentation and then publish something to accompany it.

I have published several books on anatomy and physiology, but I have a passion to convey the logic of anatomy and the relationship between structure, function, and control. As I write for my “Four things about ...” blog, which is about a simple approach to anatomy and physiology, I am encouraged by the number of hits (87,335). There was a public holiday during our visit, and I used the time to revise one of my online lectures on homeostasis, which is linked to the blog. We were both invited to give seminars; Mark delivers one on sexual health, and mine is on activities of daily living.

The weather is unusually warm for this time of year, and the humidity is high. Local colleagues assure us that it is getting cooler, but running for several miles means you end up drenched in sweat and severely dehydrated, with a core temperature above the physiological norm. Even after a cold shower, it takes an hour to cool down. If you arrive at a social event within that hour, you look as if you have been swimming—fully clothed.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.

A week in the life of an editor-in-chief

HULL, UK, Sunday, 16 June—I leave my family celebrating Father’s Day—my Father’s Day (third Sunday in June)—at lunchtime to travel to Oxford for a few days. You may have gathered I like to travel, but I don’t like travelling on a Sunday. In the United Kingdom, Sunday means slow and indirect trains with several changes, reduced service on the train (no free wine in first-class, for example), and when you have left your family sitting outside in a sunny garden, it feels so much worse.

The purpose of my visit is the annual two-day management-team meeting for the Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN). Therefore, my mood lifts as I reach Oxford—location of the Wiley-Blackwell offices—and check in to my hotel. The most interesting and enjoyable part of my work, amongst many interesting things I do, is my role as editor-in-chief of JAN. I get the opportunity to work with some superb people at Wiley-Blackwell. Some have been my colleagues here for years, and I have a top team of editors to work with. A pint of Guinness with fish and chips at the Head of the River pub on the Thames also helps lift my spirits.

Fish and chips lift my spirits.

Monday

The first day of the meeting is concerned with reviewing the year: what has worked and what needs to change. We consider the journal impact factor (JIF). Despite its manifest imperfections, and a recent call for it to be ignored, many authors decide where to send manuscripts by JIF, and we simply do not have the luxury of ignoring it. Our consideration of the impact factor is given added poignancy by the fact that announcement of the 2012 rankings is imminent. Let me introduce the team:

The publishers

At Wiley-Blackwell, my immediate contact and journal manager is Rosie Hutchinson, who has been with Wiley-Blackwell since 2009. My longest-standing contact and contemporary is Associate Director Griselda Campbell, whom I have known for more than 20 years, since she visited me as an early-career academic at the University of Edinburgh, when she worked for another publishing company. Then, there is what I refer to as the “engine house” of the Journal of Advanced Nursing: Senior Editorial Assistant Gareth Watkins and Managing Editor Di Sinclair. Nothing seems to be too much trouble for Gareth and Di, and the extent of their knowledge of the online system we use to manage submissions and reviewing is immense.

The editors

I don’t hesitate to say that I work with the best possible team of editors. They are all experienced and capable, and a cursory glance at their profiles reveals the calibre of person who edits JAN. New to the team, but joining us from the Journal of Clinical Nursing (which I used to edit) is Mark Hayter, PhD, RN, FRSA. He was featured in my previous blog, due to his forthcoming induction as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Jane Noyes, DPhil, MSc, RN, works in Wales. She, along with Lin Perry, PhD, MSc, RN, and Brenda Roe, PhD, RN, FRSH—another colleague of more than 20 years standing—preceded my appointment. They are an incredible repository of knowledge about the Journal of Advanced Nursing and also bring very specific expertise to their roles as editors. The newest member of the team is Rita Pickler, PhD, RN, FAAN, who joins us from the United States.

Dinner is in Oxford at Malmaison; excellent food, wine, and good company. I learn about the Travel John from Di, whose annual visit to the Glastonbury Festival is imminent. The Rolling Stones are headlining.

Tuesday

Sleepless night—no JIF announcement yet! In a previous blog, I explained that my success as editor-in-chief is partly judged on the basis of JIF.

Our second day at the management-team meeting always focuses on planning, and this is where the real discussion and debate take place. Many ideas—mostly mine—are “shot down in flames,” and we often end up back where we started with some change proposed to the way we do things. Our main concerns are maintaining a reputation for quality, good service to authors, and good management of copy flow. We realise that we often make adjustments to the systems at our peril and need to be absolutely sure that what is decided is both necessary and likely to work.

The team disperses at the end of the day; back to their own countries, day jobs, and professional duties. I remain in Oxford for a final night on my own, with time to catch up on Skype calls, FaceTime, emails, and editing.

Wednesday

After my third early-morning run of the week along the River Thames, I “hot-desk” at the Wiley offices to catch up with work: write a European Community-funded research proposal with a colleague from the United States; lunch with the publishing team to discuss the use of Journal of Advanced Nursing Linkedin pages, and prepare my first entry for our new blog.

I travel from Oxford to the south coast of England to address the inaugural conference of Phi Mu Chapter of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), launched in 2011 at the U.S. Embassy in London. Dinner is with Dame Betty Kershaw, DBE, OStJ, FRCN, Elizabeth Rosser, DPhil, MN, DipRM, Dip NEd, RN, RM, and Eileen Richardson, MA Ed, RGN, SCM, Cert Nursing Studies (Education). Kershaw was the driving force behind establishing this all-England chapter of STTI, which is hosted by Bournemouth University. Rosser has now taken over as president, and Richardson has supported this work throughout. I stay in Hotel Miramar, where a plaque on the wall indicates that J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, was a frequent visitor.

J.R.R. Tolkien stayed here!

No announcement of JIF yet, but an SMS message from Ian Norman, PhD, RN, CQSW, editor-in-chief of International Journal of Nursing Studies, informs me that we have both slipped down the rankings (unsmiley face).

Thursday

Excellent news! The JIF of Journal of Advanced Nursing has improved, despite slippage in rankings. Congratulations to Nursing Outlook, in the top five; commiserations to Nursing Science Quarterly, which, along with another 65 journals, has still not reappeared on the Thomson Reuters list. My email to the team is more upbeat than the one I had been planning overnight.

It is a great honour to present the opening keynote at the Honour Society. My theme is “Putting nursing back at the heart of people care,” and the session is attended by the vice-chancellor (equivalent to president) of Bournemouth University. Dinner is like a reunion of old friends and colleagues and is attended by a trio of nursing dames: Dame Kershaw, referred to above; Dame June Clark, DBE, PhD, RN, FRCN, FAAN, recently inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, an avid reader of this blog, and the person responsible for bringing the Honour Society to the United Kingdom for the first time in Wales; and Dame Yvonne Moores, DBE, FRSH, CIMgt, former chief nurse of England, following her roles as chief nurse in Wales and Scotland. For an explanation of the title “Dame,” you need to understand the U.K. Honours system, and few of us actually do!

Friday

Six hours and three trains later, I am back in Hull with my family. Tomorrow starts with a 5-kilometre Park Run. On Sunday, I fly to Dublin for one night. No more travelling until the end of July, and no more entries to the blog until then, either.

Gotta run! Photo from Park Run, different time of year.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.