As the demand for community palliative care increases, the issues that limit and enhance the emotional well-being of generalist palliative care nurses' become critical. The findings have international relevance to generalist and specialist palliative care nurses, academics and researchers alike.

Keywords:Nursing education Group work First-year experience Student approaches to learning Background and Aim: As part of the process of nursing students becoming 'work ready' within future health care teams, students need the skills to work collaboratively. In higher education, establishing group work assignments is a teaching method to develop group work skills. Not only is group work an important teaching method to develop effective group work skills but it is also used to activate deep learning. However, to date, there has been a lack of research on the impact of group work on student approaches to learning. This study aimed to examine the interrelationships between students, group work characteristics, and their approaches to learning. Design and Participants: A survey design was used, before and after a targeted academic skills development intervention, which had a specific focus on the development of group work skills. The sample involved first year undergraduate nursing students undertaking a Bachelor of Nursing programme at a regional university in Australia. A total of 92 students completed the pre-survey, and 102 students completed the post-survey. Method: Data were collected using quantitative surveys. Results: Metacognitive awareness was found to best predict a deep approach to learning. Young age and experiencing discomfort in group work were two predictors of a surface approach to learning. Conclusion: Findings indicate that nurse educators should develop strategies that support students' metacognitive awareness in relation to group work, and also support those students who feel less comfortable in working with others.© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. IntroductionDeveloping group work skills amongst students is seen as crucial, not only within university and professional contexts, but also more broadly as part of lifelong learning (Lizzio and Wilson, 2006;Noonan, 2013). Undergraduate nursing students need to develop a range of skills that relate to being an effective group member in the university environment, and as members of health care teams in clinical settings to deliver effective and safe patient and family care (Chapman, 2006;Oldenburg and Hung, 2010;Rossen et al., 2008). National Competency Standards for Registered Nurses form the foundation for undergraduate nursing programmes to deliver graduates that contribute to quality nursing care through lifelong learning and professional development of themselves and others, and who demonstrate professional practice aligned with the health needs of the population (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2013). To contribute to achieving these goals, it is common for nursing educators to use group work, particularly with first-year students, as a means to develop effective group work skills and deep learning from the beginning of their studies.Supporting the development of these skills early on in a programme of study has the potential for higher student satisfaction and may lead to better group work outcomes (Bonanno et al., 1998;Burdet...

A core component of community nursing practice in Australia is the provision of palliative care, however this area of practice has been minimally researched. We, therefore, undertook a broader review of the contemporary literature in community nursing; palliative nursing; and community nursing palliative care. Literature was searched electronically in OVID, CINAHL and nursing databases and manually in relevant journals. Findings revealed community and palliative care nursing to be both complex and challenging. Community and palliative nurses ideals for care are compromised by competing practice demands. Changing health systems and philosophical views, limited resources and the perceived 'visibility/invisibility' polarity are identified as major job stressors. Therapeutic use of 'self' and interpersonal communication are recognized as contributing to job satisfaction. Community nurses providing palliative care is as an under researched area yet it is a role that arguably requires critical understanding and recognition. Further research is needed into the relationship between emotional well-being and professional satisfaction for community and palliative care nurses providing palliation.

This paper is an investigation of emotional wellbeing and its relationship to contemporary nursing practice for women community health nurses (CHNs) who are providing palliative care. Palliative care provision has been acknowledged as a source of job satisfaction for many nurses however emotional interactions place increasing strain on nurses' wellbeing. Psychosocial aspects of care are reported as having a personal as well as a professional impact. Work related stress places nurses at increased risk of harm and impaired wellbeing. An emancipatory methodology was chosen for this study. Semi-structured interviews and reflective journaling were the methods used. The data was collected over a 16-month period during 2006-2007. There were fifteen participants. This qualitative study explored Australian rural and urban community nurses' experiences with wellbeing, emotional work and their professional practice. The findings revealed opposing social forces, an inner 'dialectical' tension between the nurses' expectations of their professional practices and what is valued in their practice settings. In terms of emotional wellbeing, two overarching themes will be discussed: feeling balanced and feeling out of balance. Workplace environments that were not always conducive to healing increased the emotional strain on nurses. Nurses' work promotes the healing of others therefore to deny the healing of nurses' is to deny others of healing. The need for further qualitative research investigating the emotional wellbeing and professional practice of community nurses who provide palliative care is necessary.

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