scholarly journals Investigating the work–life experiences of nursing faculty in Canadian academic settings and the factors that influence their retention: protocol for a mixed-method study

BMJ Open ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. e056655
Author(s):  
Sheila A Boamah

IntroductionWhile all research-oriented faculty face the pressures of academia, female faculty in fields including science, engineering, medicine and nursing, are especially susceptible to burnout. Nursing is unique in that it remains a predominantly female-dominated profession, which implies that there is a critical mass of females who are disproportionately affected and/or at higher risk of burnout. To date, little is known about the experiences of nursing faculty especially, new and early career researchers and the factors that influence their retention. This study aims to understand the work–life (the intersection of work with personal life) experiences of nursing faculty in Canadian academic settings and the factors that influence their retention.Methods and analysisA mixed-method design will be used in this study. For the quantitative study, a sample of approximately 1500 new and early career nursing faculty across Canadian academic institutions will be surveyed. Eligible participants will be invited to complete a web-based structured questionnaire in both French and English language. Data will be evaluated using generalised linear regression model and structural equation modelling. Given the complexities of work–life issues in Canada, qualitative focus group interviews with about 20–25 participants will also be conducted. Emerging themes will be integrated with the survey findings and used to enrich the interpretation of the quantitative data.Ethics and disseminationThis study has received ethical approval from the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board (#1477). Prior to obtaining informed consent, participants will be provided with information about study risks and benefits and strategies undertaken to ensure confidentiality and anonymity. The study findings will be disseminated to academics and non-academic stakeholders through national and international conference presentations and peer-reviewed open-access journals. A user-friendly report will be shared with professional nursing associations such as the Canadian Associations of Schools of Nursing, and through public electronic forums (e.g., Twitter). Evidence from this study will also be shared with stakeholders including senior academic leaders and health practitioners, government, and health service policy-makers, to raise the profile of discourses on the nursing workforce shortages; and women’s work–life balance, a public policy issue often overlooked at the national level. Such discussion is especially pertinent in light of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women, and female academics. The findings will be used to inform policy options for improving nursing faculty retention in Canada and globally.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1333
Author(s):  
Xiantong Zhao ◽  
Hongbiao Yin ◽  
Chenyang Fang ◽  
Xu Liu

Early career academics are the key agents for the sustainable development of higher education institutions. In China, those who were educated overseas and have returned to Chinese universities to seek academic positions are becoming a fast-growing group. Good research performance is critical to survive in the increasingly competitive environment in academia. Improving research performance requires an understanding of the factors that facilitate or inhibit research performance. In the light of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, this study, using a mixed-method design (20 interviewees and 136 respondents), elaborates on a number of external factors affecting returned early career academics’ research performance. Understanding these factors is helpful for the building of a favorable environment that can improve the research performance of the returned early career academics, and hence the sustainable development of universities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lillian Ng ◽  
Richard Steane ◽  
Emme Chacko ◽  
Natalie Scollay

Objective: The objective of this study was to disseminate advice imparted to early career psychiatrists by a panel of senior colleagues at a Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists symposium, reflecting on things they wished they had known at the earlier stage in their careers. Methods: Key themes were extracted from notes taken at the symposium, where opinions were expressed by three senior psychiatrists. Results: There are components in building a sustainable career as a psychiatrist, which include considering one’s work environment and relationships with colleagues; self-care, mentorship and reflective practice; and seeking opportunities to teach and research for career progression. Conclusions: The mentorship and advice from senior colleagues can be highly influential. In order to sustain a career that has reward, meaning and longevity, psychiatrists would do well to pay attention to aspects of self-care, stay connected to their loved ones, seek an optimal work–life balance and take an interest in their long term career plans.


2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tess Kay

This article examines the extent to which the growing attention being paid at EU and national level to issues related to work–life balance is reflected in families' lived experience. It identifies the demands facing families in balancing paid work with other activities, the strategies they adopt to meet them, and the role played by policy interventions. Attention is drawn to diversity in family structures and labour market participation throughout Europe, to differences in the issues encountered by families in achieving a satisfactory work–life balance, and to the contribution of policy to their strategies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-198
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Sygulska

Elder people have knowledge and experience – they can share them with other people. Seniors can teach young people different things. Their stories can indicate what is important in life and what should be avoided. The article presents the results of qualitative research (interview) on the lessons learned from the life experiences of the older people. The analysis of own research is preceded by the theoretical introduction about wisdom of life. Respondents highlighted mostly the importance of family, health, self-care and relationships with other people (friendship, honesty and respect towards others). Life showed them how important are: faith in God, enjoying every moment, patience in pursuing a goal, independently deciding about own life, realising your dreams, and work. Life experiences showed them how to deal with problems and that a person learns all life. They learned rules such as: money does not bring happiness, you cannot trust everyone, live the present and the good comes back. The elderly said that a person should make efforts to be happy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1106-1128
Author(s):  
Yvonne Lott

How do national-level work–life balance policies shape the role of flextime in maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth? It is well known that such policies influence the adoption, provision, and support of flexible work arrangements by organizations, but whether they shape the relevance of these arrangements for workers has been neglected in past research. This article analyzes whether mothers’ and partners’ flextime facilitates maternal labor market re-entry after childbirth in Germany, where family policy reforms have been implemented in the last two decades. Event history analysis based on German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) data from the years 2003–2013 revealed that mothers were more likely to re-enter the labor market if they had used flextime before childbirth. However, this effect existed only before the implementation of family policy reforms, namely the introduction of parental leave in 2007 and the expansion of public childcare. Moreover, the use of flextime before childbirth did not encourage mothers to maintain previous work hours (the legal right to work part time has existed in Germany since 2001). Partners’ use of flextime before childbirth was found to be less relevant for mothers’ return to work after childbirth. The analysis indicates that generous national-level work–life balance policies can diminish the effectiveness of organizational work–life balance policies for mothers’ employment behavior.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. e57-e58
Author(s):  
Anne Rowan-Legg

Abstract BACKGROUND The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) is the national professional paediatric organization representing over 3000 child and youth health care providers. As future leaders, early career paediatricians (ECP, defined as those in their first 5 years of practice) are highly valued CPS members, and facilitating their active engagement is a key organizational priority. ECPs comprise 15% of the current CPS membership, and previous analysis has shown that this group’s membership rate drops by nearly one-third in the first 5 years of practice. This lack of engagement may be due in part to the intense amount of activity on multiple fronts during the transition to independent practice. We sought to better identify and understand these challenges, and determine how the CPS might better support this period of a paediatrician’s professional life. OBJECTIVES To better characterize the demographics of ECPs in Canada; to identify the challenges of transition to independent paediatric practice, and to inform future CPS initiatives to support them. DESIGN/METHODS Following iterative discussion, we created a 23-question survey with either closed-ended or free text responses. It was distributed, in English and French, via e-mail link to 481 Canadian ECPs across the country in September 2017. This group included both general and subspecialty paediatricians who had qualified for their Royal College certification in 2011 or later. Survey information was obtained by an online electronic tool (Survey Monkey). All responses remained confidential. Responses were collated, and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS The survey response rate was 42% (200/481). 172/407 answered the English questionnaire, and 28/74 answered the French questionnaire. 68% self-identified as general paediatricians and 21% as subspecialists. Nearly three-quarters work in urban settings, with 35% at an academic/tertiary hospital. ECPs spend most of their working hours in a clinical setting (mean 80%), with less time in research and administration/leadership domains. Most (78%) were satisfied with their practice type and setting. Three-quarters reported good work-life balance. Identified challenges during the transition to practice included: financial and billing management; learning institutional processes and available resources; and achieving work-life balance. One third reported difficulty with continuing professional development. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that ECPs are more likely to be practising in urban settings and at academic centres. They describe some common challenges with transition to practice and would like the CPS to provide more practice management resources, mentorship, and career counseling. As a result, there is a clear opportunity for CPS to engage them in the organization, support their transition to practice, and offer accessible continuing professional education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 2053-2063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilmi Aluwihare-Samaranayake ◽  
Ian Gellatly ◽  
Greta Cummings ◽  
Emerita Linda Ogilvie
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Javier Abanades ◽  
Juan Pablo Torregrosa

The project Maestrale is an European Project funded by the Interreg MED programme (2016–2019) that aims at establishing the basis for a Maritime Energy Deployment Strategy in the Mediterranean Sea. The project is formed by a consortium with partners around the South of Europe with the objective of determining a suite of pilot zones, which will become the pillars of future developments for the implementation of Blue Energy projects in the Mediterranean Sea. The present article presents the tasks to be conducted for the study of the area in the Spanish Mediterranean Arc: • Identification of recommendations and regulations • A benchmark of the technologies installed worldwide will be carried out in order to identify their degree of adaptability to the conditions of the Med Area • The analysis of the available resource: wind, wave and tidal • The study of the area and its features: bathymetry, land cover, protected areas, etc. • The identification of the stakeholders, as the project intends to strengthen cooperation between public authorities, research bodies, businesses and the civil society • The formation of clusters with the stakeholders, either at the national or trans-national level, to increase connections in order to promote knowledge and technological transfer and generate the critical mass and environmental conditions needed to improve innovation capacities and competitiveness The main outcomes of the project are the support of the future blue energy policies and concrete strategies for blue growth and a suite of pilot projects that will serve the purpose of raising awareness among local stakeholders, facilitating social acceptance, decreasing uncertainty and increasing feasibility of concrete interventions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 465-478
Author(s):  
T. Alexandra Beauregard ◽  
Maria Adamson ◽  
Aylin Kunter ◽  
Lilian Miles ◽  
Ian Roper

PurposeThis article serves as an introduction to six articles featured in a special issue on diversity in the work–life interface. This collection of papers contains research that contemplates the work–life interface in different geographic and cultural contexts, that explores the work–life experiences of minority, marginalized and/or underresearched groups of workers and that takes into account diverse arrangements made to fulfill both work and nonwork responsibilities.Design/methodology/approachThis introductory article first summarizes some of the emerging research in this area, introduces the papers in this special issue and links them to these themes and ends with highlighting the importance of using an intersectional lens in future investigations of the work–life interface.FindingsThese six articles provide empirically based insights, as well as new theoretical considerations for studying the interface between paid work and personal life roles. Compelling new research directions are identified.Originality/valueIntroducing the new articles in this special issue and reviewing recent research in this area brings together the work–life interface scholarship and diversity management studies and points to the necessity for future investigations to take an intersectional and contextualized approach to their subject matter.


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