Doctoral Students
Recently Completed
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Farnaz Heidari
Title: Interprofessional mentoring – Exploration of support and professional development for newly qualified staff.
The aim of this study was to examine whether newly qualified healthcare staff can be supported in their journey to become a practitioner using an interprofessional framework to mentoring. The study involved the mentoring of newly qualified doctors by senior nurses for the first six months of their clinical practice. An ethnographic approach was adopted for this study. Data collection involved predominately qualitative methods (one-on-one interviews). Quantitative methods (questionnaires) were, however, also employed. The total number of participants in this study included 69 mentors (senior nurses), 64 mentees (PRHOs), four project leaders, four clinical tutors and three post-graduate managers, of which four clinical tutors, four project leaders, two postgraduate managers, 12 mentees and 12 mentors were interviewed.
The findings from this study show that mentoring using an interprofessional method is a viable approach to supporting professionals, particularly during the early stages of their professional lives and in the current health service climate. Interprofessional mentoring was perceived as a means for supporting the personal and professional development of newcomers as well as the professional development of the mentors. Professionally it involved learning clinical skills through observation, increasing knowledge about the roles and responsibilities of other professional groups and their contribution to healthcare, and developing working relationships with other professionals. In terms of personal development, it helped develop increased confidence and thereby an ability to cope with stress, enhanced interpersonal skills, and improved communication skills. These benefits ultimately influenced the care received by patients, and provided improved staff job satisfaction and a more effective use of resources.
Ciaran Newell
Title: Recovery in Anorexia Nervosa: The struggle to develop a new identity.
This study explored recovery in AN from the perspective of individuals who have experience of it and examined if there are implications for practice. A Grounded Theory methodology was used and semi structured interviews employed to collect the data. The findings show that recovery for the person involves the successful integration of the four major dimensions of recovery; deciding to recover, sustaining recovering, doing the necessary tasks and building a life without AN. Each of these dimensions represents a series of tasks, which the person must complete, to varying degrees, if they are to recover.
The grounded theory that emerged makes explicit that recovery from AN is conditional on the individuals’ decision to recover and to take an active part in making it happen. Integrating the four dimensions is a spiralling process where the change in one is dependant on and is influenced by change in the others. Individuals explore and build a life separate from the AN through the integration of the four dimensions. As a result the limited identity of AN is replaced by a more complex identity where individuals are stronger, more connected with others and in control of their lives. This study supports greater attention to the role of self-development tasks and models of treatment that promote autonomy in the person.
