Globally, addiction to "ICE" (crystal methamphetamine) is increasing and presents emergency health care services personnel with a number of challenges. This paper reports the first of two major themes arising from a qualitative study investigating health professionals' experiences' managing people presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) after taking "ICE." The theme "Caring for people who use 'ICE' when presenting to EDs" comprises five subthemes. These are: (a) expecting the unexpected: "they're just off their heads"; (b) complexity of care: "underlying trauma and emotional dysregulation";

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The crystalline form of methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth (crystal methamphetamine) or ICE, is a highly-addictive and powerful stimulant. Users of crystal meth often require emergency care, and are associated with a substantial burden of care by emergency care providers. The aim of the present qualitative study was to explore health professionals' experiences of providing care for patients affected by ICE who presented to the emergency department (ED). Nine semistructured interviews were conducted. The major theme, 'staying safe', was revealed, in which participants described their experiences of being exposed to potentially unsafe situations, and their responses to challenging behaviours, including aggression. The findings highlight the need for ED staff to understand the nature of ICE use and its adverse impact on the mental and physical health of users. Furthermore, it is clear that establishing and maintaining safety in the emergency care setting is of utmost importance, and should be a priority for health-care managers.

Boredom in the workplace is not uncommon, and has been discussed widely in the academic literature in relation to the associated costs to individuals and organizations. Boredom can give rise to errors, adverse patient events, and decreased productivity-costly and unnecessary outcomes for consumers, employees, and organizations alike. As a function of boredom, individuals may feel over-worked or under-employed, and become distracted, stressed, or disillusioned. Staff who are bored also are less likely to engage with or focus on their work. In this article, we consider the nature of boredom and also the reasons why employees, including mental health nurses, become bored in the workplace. We also discuss the role that can be taken by employees and employers to recognise and address the problem of boredom and we consider how best to develop sustainable workplaces that are characterised by engaged employees who provide the best possible service in healthcare settings.

Building individual capabilities and collaborative research teams together is fundamental to research success in adapting to new roles and workplaces.

To date, the nurse educator role in the Australian hospital setting has been poorly described. Current pressures for health care reform have prompted reviews of nursing roles. This paper discusses the literature pertaining to the nurse educator role within the context of the Australian health care environment and current health care policy. Building on this synthesis, barriers and facilitators impacting on the nurse educator role are identified and strategic directions for policy, role clarification and advanced practice role development are highlighted. Further research identifying the impact of the hospital-based nurse educator on patient outcomes and professional nursing practice are proposed.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the nurse educator role in Australian hospitals, including their practice and performance standards. Methods:A cross-sectional, online survey of nurse educators employed in acute care hospitals in Australia was administered over a three-month period. The survey comprised established and researcher-developed scales, and a single open-ended question. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was analysed using a general inductive approach.Results: Nurse educators who were more likely to fulfil nurse educator competency practice domains had master's degrees in education, defined professional development needs, and met regularly with their managers. These educators also had higher levels of job satisfaction. Participants identified that role ambiguity and role confusion adversely impacted nurse educator role expectations, responsibilities, and job satisfaction. Despite this, the majority of educators intended to stay in their role for the foreseeable future.Conclusions: Role ambiguity influenced professional identity and job satisfaction, highlighting the need for clarification of nurse educator roles. These findings suggest the need for review of the nurse educator role and incorporation of professional and educational requirements and practice competencies. Ongoing role monitoring is recommended to identify the effects of role change.