Between Sydney and Hong Kong

CATHAY PACIFIC FLIGHT 162—Another two-week visit to Australia is over, and I am bouncing back over Typhoon Linfa on the way to Hong Kong. Turbulence on my last few long-haul flights has been bad, and this one is no exception. Like all seasoned flyers, I try not to look worried.

I have been fulfilling my adjunct professor role at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and visiting my family in Brisbane. The UWS occupies several campuses and, for the first time in many years of visiting, I was in Parramatta, a suburb of Sydney, the first week. Situated on the site of a former asylum—a “lunatic” asylum, as it would have been called—the Parramatta campus takes in many of the elegant buildings associated with the place’s former purpose, and the older buildings are complemented by many fine, modern buildings.

Yours Truly with Associate Professor Michelle
Cleary, who organized my visit.

Numerous mental health hospitals in Australia are located on the banks of navigable rivers, as lunatics were not permitted to walk on the Queen’s highway—these institutions were built during the reign of Queen Victoria—and had to travel by boat. A steep set of steps leads from the river to the campus, and I imagine this is how many people were led up to their new and permanent home. I met one of the senior managers of UWS last year and only just managed to stop myself from cracking the old “the lunatics are now running the asylum” joke. He had probably heard it many times before.

With apologies to the occupants of Parramatta, this is not the most salubrious suburb of Sydney, and one of the missions of UWS is to serve these communities. My hotel website boasted “access to a state-of-the-art gym.” There was access, but the gym was a mile into town, a walk I made each evening past less than desirable housing and youth that appeared intimidating. Some of my colleagues were astonished that I had ventured out of my hotel. I reckoned that the sight of an elderly man in shorts and T-shirt in temperatures just above freezing was enough to keep me safe. It was very cold, the coldest winter in Sydney in 17 years.

Family time

The weekend I spent in Brisbane was warmer. I feel blessed to have such a great family, who make me welcome. Apart from Christmas, it is one of the few times of the year I leave work behind, literally in luggage left at the Sydney airport, and spend time with family. I always come away grateful, a few pounds heavier, and with an increased knowledge of Australian wines and beers. (Someone has to do it).

But my time in Australia was not all fun. Back at UWS, I gave a day and a half of writing-for-publication workshops and two video-conference sessions, one on social media and the other on marking theses and dissertations. Otherwise, I held staff consultations about publication plans and kept up to date with editing and supervising—from a distance—my PhD, master’s and final-year students. Two of my PhD students, one from Taiwan and one from mainland China, have completed their theses, and I am arranging for their examinations, which, in the UK, is done by viva voce, otherwise known as the “viva”). The viva is a terrifying prospect for most students, so I expect anxiety levels to be high when I get back to my desk at the University of Hull.

Two busy weeks

I have two weeks of intense activity coming up. It has to be two weeks because, although I have many July deadlines, it is only two weeks before I go on holiday and take the long-suffering and mostly tolerant Mrs. Watson—it’s OK, she never reads my blog—to New York. For the record, this is the first time in 31 years we have been away together on holiday without at least one of our children. We have gone on work-related trips to the Far East and Southeast Asia, but, as I am frequently reminded, those “don’t count.” 

So, before that happens, I have a PhD thesis and a pile of scripts from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to examine, a handover of my acting associate dean role to the incumbent who is now back in the role, Journal of Advanced Nursing author guidelines to revise, and lots of research data to analyse. I see the seat belt sign is on again, and I am trying not to look worried.

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.

Hong Kong and Seoul

HONG KONG, SAR, China—I’m posting this from the Cathay Pacific First Class Pier Lounge at the Hong Kong International Airport. The Cathay Pacific flight from Manchester to Hong Kong (CX 358) was restored toward the end of last year, and this was the first time I had taken it with the intention of staying in Hong Kong. My previous use of the route was for an onward flight to China. The flight arrived at 6:30 a.m., and, to fight off jet-lag and avoid falling asleep, that made for a very long first day in Hong Kong. I tried going for a walk, which, in 75 percent humidity, lasted five minutes. Eventually, I surrendered at 6:30 p.m. and slept until 6 a.m. the next—my longest sleep in Hong Kong and my longest sleep for years.

I was back in Hong Kong for a second set of meetings with the University Grants Committee Research Grants Council. Most of the work of the committee is done in the four months before we arrive, and these are the meetings where final decisions are made. We also make an academic visit to one of Hong Kong’s higher-education institutes, and this year we visited, in a purely advisory capacity, the City University of Hong Kong. Otherwise, I caught up with old friends and colleagues.

Thomas Wong, PhD, RN, former vice president of Hong Kong Polytechnic University and an entrepreneur with his own consultancy business (GINGER Knowledge Transfer and Consultancy Ltd.) and health provider spin-off (Seamless Care), is the best value for money in Hong Kong and my oldest friend there. Little happens in nursing in Hong Kong and mainland China that Wong either does not know about or has not been instrumental in developing.

I also met Eric Lu Shek Chan, MSc, RN, GAPFON member and former deputy chief nurse at the Hong Kong Health Authority, now dean at Caritas Institute of Higher Education. Chan had planned to meet me in Seoul, South Korea, at the 2015 conference of the International Council of Nurses (ICN), but the Hong Kong government prohibited any health-related personnel from travelling to South Korea due to the MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) crisis. The risks of becoming infected with MERS must rate similarly to the chances of winning the United Kingdom National Lottery. Made of stern stuff and with the proverbial British stiff upper lip, I decided to take my chances and head to Seoul.

ICN International Conference

This was my second visit to Seoul, my first several years ago in prohibitively cold, subzero temperatures. This visit was warmer but at a much more civilised temperature than Hong Kong. Conditions for running were ideal, and I recorded Seoul, Gangnam District, on my Garmin webpage.

I have attended ICN conferences before—in Taiwan and Japan—and this one bore the same overriding feature: It was huge. There were thousands of people there, the venue was enormous, and it was by luck much more than management that I ran into colleagues from the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, China, and Australia. I could see from Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn that many other people I knew were also there, but, despite trying, we never met. I was especially pleased to meet for coffee with GAPFON colleagues Hester C. Klopper, PhD, MBA, RN, RM, FANSA; Cathy Catrambone, PhD, RN, FAAN; Pat Thompson, EdD, RN, FAAN; and Cynthia Vlasich, MBA, BSN, RN. I also had lunch with Sally Wai-Chi Chan, PhD, RN, FAAN, featured in many entries passim from Singapore and China.

Pam Mitchell, PhD, RN, FAAN, University of
Washington; Sue Turale, DEd, RN, FACN, Ewha Women's University, South Korea; and Yours Truly struggling with that last course.

Sadly, my impression of Korean food, honed during my first subzero temperature visit, did not improve as a result of this visit. I simply cannot get the theme, appreciate the tastes, marvel at the presentation—and I’m British! However, it was not for want of trying, and I did enjoy one excellent dinner—mainly the beer and the company—hosted by my publisher, Wiley, through its Asia-Pacific office.

Leaving the best till last

Amidst all this fun and frivolity, something wonderful happened last week, and that was publication of the 

Thomson Reuters impact factors for 2014. My journal, Journal of Advanced Nursing, has increased its impact factor (1.741), its citations (12,024), and its ranking (10th place). Therefore, we can once again claim to be a top-10 journal. I would like to thank our authors, readers (especially those who cite us), our incredible team of editors, and the staff at Wiley.

The best news I've had in years!

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.

First time in Valencia

HULL, United Kingdom—Most of the time, travel goes well. Sometimes, it goes spectacularly wrong, and Monday, 8 June, was looking as if it would fall into the “spectacularly wrong” category.

I arrived at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 early in the morning after an overnight stay in one of the airport hotels only to be told that I had no seat booked on the flight—or any flight. Apparently, all the air miles and frequent-flyer status in the world will not get you on a flight it you have no ticket. The travel agent used by my hosts in Spain had issued several itineraries but had not actually booked and paid for a ticket. I found this out after several phone calls to Spain that, in order to sort things out, required the travel agent to open the office early. Had I been in Valencia, I would gladly have turfed the agent out of bed myself.

Like most Spanish cities, Valencia is magnificent.

Amedved/iStock/Thinkstock

Eventually, I caught a later flight for the same connection from Madrid to Valencia, meaning I had to do what I have done many times in the past: sprint through the terminal in Madrid to my connection. I made it. After recounting this to a colleague that evening on Skype, she described me as “the Daniel Craig of nursing.” With my accent, I had always been satisfied with being the Sean Connery of nursing, but I probably needed upgrading to a newer model.

Return to Spain

The international component of my nursing career began in Spain 25 years ago when I took part in a staff exchange programme between the University of Edinburgh and the University of Navarra in Pamplona. Thus began a love affair with Spain and the first of many professional and family visits to Pamplona. My oldest daughter, who studied nursing at the University of Hull and did an elective in critical care in Pamplona, has since worked exclusively in critical care and is well on the way to being a critical care advanced nurse practitioner.

This trip, however, was my first visit to Spain in nine years and my first ever to Valencia, located on the Mediterranean. Hosted by Universidad Europea Valencia, I was there to attend a public event at which a former PhD student of mine was making her case for promotion to associate professor. The former student—Silvia Corchón Arreche, PhD, MSc, RN—was one of the best I’ve supervised, and she sailed through the event. I was one of a panel of three external assessors. Colleagues and family members of the candidate were present, as was the rector (equivalent to president or vice-chancellor in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively). Before you ask if I can speak Spanish, the answer is no, but it is easy to read scientific Spanish, and I could follow the PowerPoint slides. When it came to questions, I was allowed to ask and be replied to in English.

I was accommodated in the historic quarter of the city, which houses many churches, markets, and a cathedral. Like most Spanish cities, it is magnificent. The temperature dropped from 49 C (120.2 F) to a cool 34 C (93.2 F) while I was there. Running was possible in the very early morning. A superb feature of the city, and surrounding the historic quarter, is the bed of a long-ago diverted river, complete with bridges, and it is ideal for running.

The return journey was uneventful, and I leave for Hong Kong and South Korea in three days. Dire warnings are being issued by the Hong Kong government about travel to South Korea due to the MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) crisis, so I am hoping it does not lead to any restrictions.

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.

Farewell to Bahrain

MANAMA, Kingdom of Bahrain—My four years as an external examiner at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland-Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB) are over. I may have said something similar last year, after three years as an examiner. However, I was invited to sit for a further year, and the absolute maximum is four. I am sorry to leave and will miss my visits to the island, but other opportunities are opening for me in the Middle East, to be reported in due course.

In addition to examining, I gave a workshop on scientific writing, after which I presented certificates to newly inducted members of the Rufaida Honor Nursing Society. Officers of the society recently met Hester C. Klopper, PhD, MBA, RN, RM, FANSA, president of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), when she was visiting the Middle East, and the local society is making progress in its bid for STTI membership.

New inductees of the Rufaida Honor Nursing Society.

Uncool running

I rose almost early enough on two mornings to avoid the sun but failed to escape it completely. At 5:30 a.m., it is in the low 30s Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), but during the day it has been as high as 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), and when the sun is up, it is impossible to walk, let alone run. Foolishly, I went running at 6 p.m. one evening before it had cooled down, and the ambient temperature was body temperature (37 Celsius/98.6 Fahrenheit). The rest of the story is nearly heat-stroke history.

It was hot in Bahrain!

When I ran recently in a more civilised temperature back home in England, I completed a 10 kilometres race in 46 minutes and 5 seconds, three seconds above my personal best. The 46-minute target continues to elude me. For the rest of the running year, I’m going to focus on breaking 21 minutes for 5 kilometres, something I want to achieve before I am 60 years old.

The next few weeks

Back home at the University of Hull, I am handing back the job of associate dean for research and enterprise in stages to the incumbent, who will resume the position in July. The role has not prevented me from travelling or missing the most important meetings that go with it. Essentially, there is barely a job that cannot be done remotely these days, and nearly all of the administrative aspects of the role were done online. Our faculty of health and social care is now under the leadership of Julie Jomeen, PhD, RN, RM, and I look forward to discussing the next few years—the final ones of my career—with her soon.

Over the rest of June, I visit Spain, Hong Kong, Korea, and Australia. I will report in detail from each of these places, but I am pleased to note that my link with the Hong Kong Polytechnic will continue. I had reported its end in a previous entry, but today I was invited to become a visiting professor again, but in a different role. The university has launched a massive open online course (MOOC) in anatomy, to which I will contribute. “Human Anatomy” is offered under the auspices of EdX, which involves prestigious partner universities such as Harvard and MIT in the United States.

The world needed another Watson

Two weeks ago, Alex Watson, my sixth grandchild—no granddaughters yet—was born to the delight of his parents and grandparents but consternation of his big brother Connor who seems to be tolerating this 100 percent increase in number of his siblings and 50 percent decrease in amount of attention he gets. Yours Truly also has to fight for attention. I can almost predict the welcome tomorrow: “Oh, you’re back. When are you away again?”

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

Jasmine in Genoa

GENOA AIRPORT, Genoa, Italy—The scent of jasmine hung in the heavy, humid coastal air of Genoa. It was especially pleasant in the morning, when the flowers were opening, and was still in evidence as the sun went down. However, not everyone enjoys this. Many locals are allergic to the pollen. During my time here, the offices around me at the University of Genoa echoed to the sounds of repeated sneezing and Italian cursing.

This was my second visit here this year, and the weather was superb. Lemons were growing within reach of my window, and I was very tempted to slice one up for a gin and tonic. My 10k training finished at the sea front on the famous Corsa Italia, and I am now resting my 59-year-old legs before a race this weekend. Climbing, including indoors, has been neglected lately due to running.

The view from my window in Genoa.

My work at the University of Genoa with colleagues in the school of nursing continues to focus on the doctoral students with whom I am working on a rapid evidence assessment. These are not full-time students. Few live locally, and they meet only a few times yearly. Working hard at a distance, they retrieved and filtered some useful literature down to a few items that will form the basis of an excellent review paper, the topic of which will be revealed nearer to the time of submission. I averted a collective crisis of confidence, as they had convinced themselves that they needed to scrap what they were doing and start again. They are now back on track, and my visit, in this regard, was useful. Otherwise, I advised colleagues on their publication plans and research projects.

A new honor society?

I was asked about membership in the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) by one of the faculty who believes this would be a good thing for Italian nurses. I agreed, given that there is no Italian chapter and no Italian members that I know of. They were astounded when, within minutes, I put them in contact by Twitter with STTI President Hester C. Klopper, PhD, MBA, RN, RM, FANSA, —who replied—and by email with Elizabeth Rosser, DPhil, president of Phi Mu Chapter in England. I see from my email trail that they already have advice from Rosser on how to join and set up a society here. As the saying goes, “Watch this space.”

Rejection

News arrived from a journal editor that a major manuscript, which I have been leading and which has already graced the editorial desks—briefly—of three other journals, has been rejected again. I had to heed my own advice about not corresponding with editors over rejections and simply to take any good advice on board and submit elsewhere.

Yours Truly tames the Ducati Monster in Genoa.

My co-authors, both much younger than me, kept me on track, but we were all astonished at a comment from one reviewer that defied all logic with regard to the method we were using and the principles we were addressing. Still, the experience was useful as, when I was taking a class with the master’s students in Genoa on scientific writing, I was able to say that I had just been rejected and was in the process of applying my fourth rule of writing: treat a rejection as the start of the next submission.

I don’t leave the UK until the end of the month, when I visit Bahrain and the fledgling Rufaida Honor Society at the RCSI-Medical University of Bahrain. Before then, I will be participating in an online series of lectures for International Nurses Day and presenting on “Global issues facing nursing” before travelling to London to take part in a forum at the headquarters of the Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom. The following week is spent mostly in Edinburgh, Scotland, where I will examine a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, give a presentation on research assessment at Edinburgh Napier University, and meet a research collaborator at Heriot Watt University. Between those sessions, I will catch up with as many colleagues as possible.

I mentioned in my last entry that my daughter was taking part in an international street dancing competition in Florida. Her team won, as did the junior team from her dance club, so that was a memorable visit to the United States. I’m also glad to report that the long-suffering Mrs. Watson and her itinerant husband will be taking a holiday in New York City in July. I have never visited NYC, although my wife has, and this will be her turn to show me around a foreign city.

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.

Another side of Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)—At 2 a.m. the morning after my arrival, Saudi Arabia’s health minister, Abdullah al-Rabeeah, was removed from office by King Abdullah for claiming he did not know why the number of people with MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome) was increasing, thereby admitting he had been unable to address the problem. 

The unfortunate turn of events for al-Rabeeah meant I was one of the first people to meet his interim replacement, His Excellence Acting Minister for Health Adel Faqih, Saudi Arabia’s labor minister, who now serves in both roles. Faqih presented me, later that morning, with my “hadyyah” (gift) for presenting at The Second International Health Specialties Conference in Riyadh, KSA, sponsored by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.

Apparently some folk
think I'm OK! 
(Click photo to read text.)

According to colleagues here, the sacked minister, an engineer by background, was popular and had made a good impression on my nursing colleagues, some of whom met him. However, politics is politics the world over, and, frankly, honesty does not pay if you wish to keep your job.

International conference

My paper at the conference was on the difference ethics can make to health care, but I also gave a preconference workshop to 150 nurses and physicians on getting papers published. Among the attendees was my former PhD student, Mansout Alyami, who works at the Ministry for Health. The workshop was the most popular of the two sessions, with an additional 150 people being turned away.

This was especially surprising as I was competing for participants with such luminaries as Geoff Norman, PhD, of McMaster University who, I now realise, is one of the world’s foremost experts on medical education. I was very pleased to get to know Norman over the course of the conference, and his presentation on myths in medical education reinforced many of the things I had long held doubts about, such as learning styles, self-assessment, high-fidelity simulation (essentially a waste of money), and the predictive value of multiple-choice tests (turns out they’re pretty good). Norman, who backs all this up with evidence, has already sent me his portfolio of research papers and reviews on these issues.

Jeddah

After three days in the oppressive heat, oppressive atmosphere (especially for women), and dry dust of Riyadh, I flew to Jeddah on the coast to participate in a scientific forum at Fakeeh College of Nursing & Medical Sciences, where I presented three papers over two days. Another former PhD student, Wafaa Aljohani, who is a faculty member at the school, facilitated my visit. I also met former PhD student Samira Alsenany, who works at King AbdulAziz University, the oldest university in KSA.

A preserved building in the old town of Jeddah,
included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. 

Compared with Riyadh, Jeddah is a coastal paradise. In addition to the weather being cooler, it is less dusty and less oppressive in many ways than Riyadh. The population is cosmopolitan, and, because the city is close to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, it is a tourist destination. This was my first sight of the Red Sea where, as the Old Testament describes, Moses parted the water and crossed from Egypt to the Promised Land. I can imagine that, all those thousands of years ago, this place did not look very promising.

International family

The Watson family is scattered across the globe. Another contingent is in Florida, where Mrs. Watson and our youngest daughter arrived this week. Our daughter is taking part in a street-dancing competition at Daytona Beach, and Mrs. Watson will continue training for the London Marathon.

My ambitions are modest by comparison. I am training for a 10-kilometre race, and managed to run 13 miles over four days along the seafront in Jeddah. My next visit to the Middle East is in May, when I go to Bahrain, but a visit to Genoa, Italy comes before that.

Podcasting continues, if you want to listen to my daily reflections on Jeddah. With my new Veho MUVI Mini Cam, claimed to be the smallest video camera in the world, I posted on YouTube a compilation of video segments, all in one 48-minute clip, that range from Hull to Riyadh. Persevere—or fast-forward—to take a cultural tour of Riyadh and hear the call to prayer going out.

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.

Facing up to demographic change in China

LUZHOU, Sichuan Province, China—Luzhou City has the same population as my native Scotland: 5 million people. The UK could be dropped into Sichuan Province, and it would take a major expedition to find it. The size and scale of everything in China is impressive, but its growing population is presenting problems.

The one-child policy was misguided. It failed to curb population growth and led to asymmetric growth whereby China has a surplus of men. The policy also led to another demographic change. By 2050, if the trend continues, the proportion of the population that is younger and economically active will be outweighed by the older and more dependent proportion. This change in the dependency ratio means that an increasingly older population will require care when fewer people are available to look after them.

While in Luzhou, I participated in a conference at Affiliated Hospital of Luzhou Medical University on elder health promotion and nursing care. The session I presented was titled “Preparing nurses to work with older people.” This was my second visit, and they honoured me with a three-year visiting professorship and signed a memorandum of understanding with my university.

Reunion

It was good to see old friends. Not the least was my translator, Daniel Kuwei Liu, an extraordinary young man fluent in English and French. Formerly located in Luzhou, he now works in Beijing. When the opportunity arose to translate for me, he made himself available. Much frustrates me about working in China, but the sincere loyalty of many Chinese people to old friends is salutary. 

With Daniel Kuwei Liu and conference delegates.

Another loyal friend who has featured in blogs passim, Sally Chan, PhD, RN, FAAN, now head of nursing and midwifery at The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, also addressed the conference. Chan made a previous appearance in this blog when she was head of nursing at National University of Singapore. In addition to addressing the conference, Chan and I met with senior staff members of the hospital affiliated with the university, and we also gave short speeches to nursing students. We were asked many questions about ourselves and how nursing could be developed.

Sally Chan and Yours Truly.

Nursing is considered a relatively low-status occupation in China, and the image of the profession is poor. I hope the opportunity that the students had to hear from a global nursing academic like Chan and the editor-in-chief of a major nursing journal lifted their vision. Men are particularly lacking in nursing here, and the few men present were interested to see someone who had spent his career in the profession. However, above all else, everyone was astonished to hear I had eight children and only one wife.

The mighty Yangtze

Luzhou is situated on the banks of the Yangtze River, which runs from the Himalayas to Shanghai. On my previous visit, pollution was such that I could not see the river. This time, I managed two three-mile runs along the riverbanks in the early morning. Air quality was good, and the temperature and humidity were bearable. On the first day, I shared the banks with assorted joggers, dancers, martial artists, and fishers. On the second day, it was raining, and the few people I saw looked at me as if I was crazy.

Sichuan Province is famous for the pandas near the capital city, Chengdu, and also for the cuisine which is—famously—spicy. I was rendered speechless at least twice when I swallowed a chili. There is a particular seed here that makes your mouth go numb. For a few minutes, you speak as if you have just left a dental surgery. This passes, though, and my best advice is not to speak until the effect wears off.

“Hot pot” cooking is also very common, although not unique to Sichuan Province. This is a process of cooking your own food in a steaming pot into which a rich variety of ingredients can be added. Frankly, it is not my favourite way to eat, as it is hard work. That and the constant way of toasting, common in Sichuan, whereby everyone leaves their place and goes round the table offering thanks and clinking glasses. You barely consume one uninterrupted mouthful and are exhausted by the end of the evening.

I go home for Easter Sunday and a few days of leisure but will address the PhD Experience Conference at the University of Hull, slated for 7-8 April. At the end of the week, I go to the Middle East, to Saudi Arabia. I fly to Riyadh, which I have visited before, but will also visit Jeddah for the first time. This will be another reunion with old friends and former PhD students. It’s not all hard work!

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.

'I'm only a nurse'

HULL, United Kingdom—I was teaching a group of students last week who were finishing the return-to-practice course we offer at the University of Hull. All of the students in the class are registered nurses who have taken a career break and, as a result, not met the prescribed number of hours of practice as specified by the United Kingdom’s Nursing and Midwifery Council. My task was to tell them about recent developments, including various commissions and commission reports—such as the Francis Report—that have made recommendations relevant to nursing.

The class session could not have been better timed, as publication of the Shape of Caring report had just been announced. I had not seen the report, but I was aware, based on advance information and discussions with colleagues close to Lord Willis, chair of the Shape of Caring review, what was likely to be recommended.

I knew, for example, there would be proposals for widening access to the nursing register by making it easier for health care assistants to enter nursing education by receiving credit for previous experience and undertaking a shortened programme. I questioned the wisdom of this proposal, as I have discussed previously in “Nursing education,” another blog I write. Repeating what we often hear, one of the students in the class observed that the proposal to broaden access addresses the problem of prohibiting good, caring people who wish to look after patients from doing so. 

Time to drop the apologetic "I'm only a nurse."

Michael Jung/iStock/Thinkstock

I replied that—assuming they are given the right assignments—such people should not be excluded from working with patients, but if they wish to become registered nurses, I saw no reason why they should not meet the expected entry-level educational qualifications and undertake the full educational programme. After all, we are trying to produce accountable and responsible professionals. Many may wish to become physicians, but I hear no call from anyone for widened entry gates to medicine.

The student actually agreed with me—a first! I think the problem is, many of our all-you-need-to-be-a-nurse detractors who make statements about nursing are rarely challenged. As a result, their rhetoric sticks in the minds of the public and the profession.

Wanted: An end to ‘I’m only a nurse’

I have been asked, along with others, to address in May a UK Royal College of Nursing forum that focuses on some aspects of nurse education and attitudes toward nursing. In the five minutes I’m allotted, I intend to address the apologetic “I’m only a nurse” reply that many of us give when we are asked what we do—especially if a few “high fliers” have just introduced themselves at a conference dinner table. If I never hear those words again, I will retire happy.

Lancet Commission update

Earlier in the year, after considerable thought, I decided to relinquish the lead of the Lancet Commission on UK Nursing. A few things have changed personally and professionally, and I was beginning to lose sight of our aims and how we would get there. I am glad to say that leadership is now in the excellent hands of Anne Marie Rafferty, PhD, CBE, FAAN, professor of nursing policy at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King’s College London, and I will continue to serve on the commission.

We still aim to report in early 2016 and, despite my negative reflections on the Shape of Caring report, there is much in it that the Lancet Commission may be able to build on. Vitriolic criticism of the commission—its composition, its purpose, and the fact that it was inspired by The Lancet—continues in the nursing press, additional evidence of just how narrow minded we can be in UK nursing.

The Far East and Middle East beckon

I am in the process of packing for a week in China where I will address a conference in Luzhou. After returning for a few days over Easter, I leave for 10 days in Saudi Arabia. You can bet you will hear all about those visits, and I will resume production of my “travelcast” podcasts.

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.