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This paper aims to explain how and why the philosophical changes to the pre-registration nursing standards by the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have resulted in a paradigm shift for mental health nursing.

This paper critically examines the changes to nursing education standards and offers an analysis of the problems associated with the shift towards a generic nursing syllabus.

The said shift prioritises physical health intervention, skills, procedures and tasks over the uniqueness of mental health nursing.

This paper argues that mental health nursing skills and qualities such as connection, genuine advocacy and therapeutic-use-of-self have been undervalued and under-represented by the new education standards.

This paper calls on the profession and service users to join the discourse and inform future mental health nursing identity. Ultimately, this paper calls on the NMC to reconsider the underpinning principles of the education standards and allot due consideration to the specific needs of the mental health nursing profession.

The paper's aim is to assess the usefulness of the real time evaluation methodology in rapid‐onset humanitarian emergencies and to document recurring constraints and lessons learned.

A small online survey was carried out among evaluation interviewees and a desk study was commissioned to extrapolate good practice and learning points from nine evaluations carried out by one international organisation over the past three years.

Given the changing nature of the environment in which agencies work during rapid onset humanitarian emergencies, impact evaluations are often carried out too late for important programme changes to be made. The real time evaluation methodology has proved to be a reliable and useful tool for process evaluation during rapid‐onset emergencies. However, it is clear, if it does not take place within the first two months the chances of programmatic changes being made are minimal. There is still the issue of organisational learning and ensuring that lessons learned from one response are taken forward in future programmes. Although there are several risks associated with the methodology, these are outweighed by the advantages, both immediate and longer‐term.

The findings from these studies has been of value to the organisation but they are also of interest to the wider humanitarian sector struggling with the practicalities of process evaluations in a challenging environment.

Although there are several publications about real time evaluation methodology, this paper is one of the first attempts by a non‐UN organisation to critically review evaluation reports and to document the staff opinions.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of the process of identifying a conceptual framework of practice to areas of nursing without a current clearly identified scope of practice. Worldwide, nursing is a diverse profession with many recognised sub-specialties, some of which are under threat. Nurses with specialised knowledge, experience and education are needed to provide specific care in nursing sub-specialties. However, some of these characteristics are implicit and not clear to the wider nursing community. This paper presents an overview of research to identify the parameters of practice for a sub-specialty of nursing.

The methodology was interpretive enquiry as it allowed for the interpretation of multiple realities which resulted in a rich description of the work of a sub-specialty. The research used document analysis, focus group interviews and individual interviews as the methods of collecting data. Documents were analysed using iterative and thematic analysis The focus group and individual interview data were analysed using an adaptation of a six-phase thematic analysis process.

This paper presents the findings of the entire analysis and the resultant holistic conceptual framework for the work of the child and adolescent mental health nurse in the inpatient unit. The findings have contributed new knowledge to mental health nursing, specifically child and adolescent mental health nursing making the parameters of practice more explicit. Research is currently being undertaken in Australia to further develop the framework for other sub-specialties of nursing such as community health and orthopaedics. These sub-specialties have been identified as potentially at risk.

This paper discussed the applicability of a broader use of a qualitative research methodology used to identify scope of practice in child and adolescent mental health nursing, for other nursing specialties.

Nurses with specialised knowledge, experience and education are needed to provide specific care in nursing subspecialties such as child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) nursing. However, some of these attributes are implicit and not clear to the wider nursing community. The purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of a conceptual framework for CAMH inpatient nursing practice to other areas of CAMH nursing practice. This paper presents an exploratory study regarding the applicability of the framework to two small cohorts of CAMH nurses. This study was conducted in Tasmania, Australia and Northern Denmark. These settings were chosen due to the self-perceived knowledge gap surrounding the role and professional identity of these Australian and Danish CAMH nurses.

An exploratory qualitative study within the social constructivist paradigm was undertaken. The method of data collection was two focus groups of CAMH nurses in Tasmania, Australia and Northern Denmark. The data were analysed using an adaptation of a six-phase thematic analysis process.

The analysis of the data resulted in three themes: individual preparation and experience of CAMH nurses, knowledge transfer and nurses’ perceptions of their individual and team roles. The findings have contributed new knowledge of CAMH nursing.

The findings of this study may support the applicability of the conceptual framework with participants’ endorsing that it reflects their role.

This paper aims to critically compare the impact and preparedness for practice of two types of mental health nurse training in the UK. One being a hospital-based apprenticeship model from the 1980s; the other a university-based and more academically focussed approach from this millennium.

This autoethnographic reflective commentary describes and reviews the effectiveness of two training curricula for Registered Mental Nurse (RMN) training. The first being the certificate-level 1983 syllabus of the UK Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, which was replaced in the late 1990s by diploma and degree-level Project 2000 training of the General Nursing Council. Using a reflective narrative approach to describe the lived experience of two qualified nurses, it compares, reviews and critiques both initiatives.

The author/researchers found both benefits and negatives inherent in each model. These were grouped into five key headings, which are a sense of belonging/identity; exposure to clinical practice; differences in training modality; development of clinical management skills and clinical preparedness; and academic merit. The older curriculum lacked an academic or research base, whereas the more recent approach encouraged and enhanced this element. However, with regard to preparing the clinician/registered nurse to feel confident in addressing a range of clinical and managerial challenges, the older style training seems to deliver better outcomes. They conclude that a move towards a “middle ground” between the two models may be of benefit to future RMN preparation.

This study reports on the experience of two registered nurses. Therefore, the sample size is small. However, autoethnography is acknowledged as an effective means of delivering qualitative research; in addition, the authors access and use material from the wider literature to triangulate and critique their approach. This paper adds to the literature but also allows for duplication by others to further test the findings.

This type of study provides an opportunity for others to review, compare and contrast nursing or other multi-discipline changes in training/curriculum. The research method is one that is transferable and can be used within areas of practice, which have resource limitations. It provides an opportunity to replicate it in other services or jurisdictions.

Nursing in the UK has experienced significant change over the past four decades. For RMNs, the move from hospitals into the community has been transformational. In addition, the influence of higher academic standards and the influence of the recent pandemic have challenged the profession and individuals within it. This study demonstrates positive and negative elements of the dilemma faced by nurses and offers a further contribution to this area.

There are a number of academic papers, media stories, statutory reports and guidance that explore the impact of changes within nurse training. This paper uses a first person autoethnographic study of the impact and effectiveness of these changes at a human level, the nurse on the ground. It uses the ward medicine keys as the vehicle to represent the huge responsibility that newly qualified nurses must face; this is not widely represented elsewhere in the literature!

This paper aims to present demographic characteristics and postgraduate employment trends of business doctoral graduates, especially the proportion that are underrepresented minorities (URMs) over time.

The authors analyze the near census of individuals receiving doctoral degrees in a wide range of business disciplines from US-accredited universities from 1973 to 2018 (n = 50,091) contained with the National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates. The authors analyze how the proportion of URM graduates, by discipline, has changed over time both in terms of receiving a doctoral degree and entering an academic position.

The proportion of URM graduates fluctuated between approximately 5% and 15% annually, steadily increasing across decades. Overall, 64.4% of all graduates entered an academic position, with notably higher rates among whites (72.1%) compared to Blacks (51.8%), Hispanics (60.4%) and other URMs (56.4%) (p < 0.001). In adjusted models, the proportion of URMs that entered academic positions significantly increased overtime, beginning in the 1990s and peaked in the 2000s. Although the few institutions that graduated the highest number of URMs do not currently have an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-accredited business school, the authors identify several exemplar institutions where URM graduates entered academic jobs at the highest rates.

The authors provide demographic trends that shed light on ways to influence an increase in URM doctoral graduates from business disciplines into academic careers. This discussion is of interest to university administrators and other stakeholders interested in diversity issues in higher education.

In recent times, universities have been faced with the challenge of implementing neoliberal ideas as a survival tactic. For instance, there is increasing pressure on academics globally to publish because of performance funding and other metrics like global rankings, which consider where and how much academics publish. This study explores how neoliberalism in higher education has influenced the academic profession.

The study used two New Zealand universities as case studies to understand how the universities' academics respond to government formula for allocating public funding to universities and also how the universities respond to the changing higher education system in New Zealand. In total, 21 academics were interviewed and documents such as the strategic plans of the universities; policies, guidelines and procedures; Tertiary Education Union reports and media reports were analysed.

The study finds that neoliberal practices could lead to occupational stress that comes with the pressure to publish, increased teaching workload and casualisation of the academic job, especially amongst emerging academics.

Whilst the topic is not entirely original, this study is pertinent and offers the following advice to stakeholders. A university's success is a function of its academics, and academics perform at an exceptional level because academics want to, not because academics are being made to. Unless governments and universities address the intense competition that results from funding allocation procedures, the less well-off academics will fail and some will be forced to compromise the duties that academics have. A collaborative and collegial higher education system that focuses on serving the public good can be an alternative.

This discursive paper considers the use of restrictive practices in mental health inpatient settings and how these are often prioritised over relational approaches, especially where the diagnostic label of personality disorder intersects with risk.

Key concepts from Orwell’s 1984 are studied for their pertinence to mental health inpatient settings, supporting our argument that restrictive practices arise from dichotomous thinking and externalised fears.

Drawing upon Orwellian themes of power, social control and digital surveillance from 1984, the authors highlight the role of fear in perpetuating restrictive practices under a guise of benevolent care in mental health inpatient settings, especially for those who are diagnosed with a personality disorder. A lack of preparedness to work with complexity in such environments, coupled with a deficit in self-reflexivity and critical thinking, can exacerbate challenges.

To transcend damaging dichotomies and reduce restrictive practices in inpatient settings, the authors make the argument for the adequate preparation and education of the mental health nurse and authentic, collaborative, user-involved care.

The authors use Orwell’s novel to support a critical discourse around those damaging dichotomies and inherent contradictions that contribute to restrictive practice in contemporary mental health settings and to question whose interests’ these restrictive practices serve.

The present study adopts the analytical framework of new managerialism (NM) to explore the progress, challenges and outlook of self-financing post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong since 2000. This study also identified issues and related managerial implications for developing this niche form of higher education in Hong Kong.

This study conducted a critical review of self-financing post-secondary institutions in Hong Kong, including the sub-degree and degree sectors, via collecting a series of policy documents and archives from the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, the Public Records Office and other government bodies. To supplement the findings, semi-structured in-depth interviews of 18 academic staff of Hong Kong's self-financing post-secondary institutions were carried out.

The study shows that self-financing post-secondary institutions not only encounter challenges related to insufficient resources but also face pressure from accreditation requirements of various international organisations. The study also suggests that massification and privatisation of self-financing post-secondary institutions, and embracing a managerial approach for operation and governance will induce a new wave of self-financing post-secondary institutions in the near future.

This study offers insights for self-financing post-secondary institutions into implementing appropriate strategies to maintain competitiveness and retain talents in the coming years.