How was I identified and why am I being invited to participate in this research?
You have been invited to participate in my research because you have responded to an advert in print or social media, to an invitation sent to your publically available email contact, or you may have heard about this study from colleagues and nursing friends, and you meet the entry criteria listed below.
1. Registered nurses or Nurse Practitioners who are currently working wholly or partly in a clinical environment in Aotearoa, or who have worked clinically within the last five years. The clinical environment is defined as a healthcare setting where the nurse has direct or indirect influence on patient care. For clarity, this will not include nurses working wholly in academic positions but would include healthcare managers, clinical researchers, and
Doctoral Education for Clinical Nurses What is the impact on practice?
Date Information Sheet Produced: 30 Aug 2021
Version 2.0 03 Feb 2022
My name is Gráinne McAnnalley and I am registered nurse working in New Zealand and a student in the Doctor of Health Science programme at AUT. I would like to invite you to consider participating in my research which will examine the impact on nursing practice of a doctoral education for clinical nurses. This research will form the main part of the Doctor of Health Science qualification.
Participant Information Sheet
What is the purpose of this research?
My research will examine the impact of a doctoral qualification for nurses in clinical practice. Previous international research has shown the majority of nurses with doctoral qualifications work in academia, however there is a minority who remain wholly or partly in clinical practice. Doctorally qualified clinical nurses report a diversity of experience which includes role ambiguity, difficulty transitioning back into clinical practice, positive and negative reactions from colleagues, varying expectations around research production and varying levels of mentorship and support from employers. There is also a lack of understanding around how doctoral education might impact the nurse’s clinical practice. This research proposes to determine the Aotearoa/New Zealand experience, to understand the doctorally prepared nurse’s perception of the impact of the doctoral qualification on their clinical practice, and to identify role development and support mechanisms both formal and informal. The research findings will be published as the thesis for the Doctor of Health Science degree. In addition, the findings of this research may be used for academic publications and presentations, and to inform guidelines.
Project Title
Inclusion criteria:
How do I agree to participate in this research?
3. At least 12 months of post doctoral clinical experience.
clinical educators working within the clinical environment of a public or private healthcare provider. Any clinical position working 8 hours per fortnight and above will be included.
The data analysis method for this research is Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Once final themes are identified and named, the analysis will be made available to you for your review and comments if you give consent.
Please feel free to show this information to your whānau, friends, and colleagues. If you have questions about this project please feel free to telephone 021 178 9971 or email the researcher at gramca85@autuni.ac.nz If you would like to take part in this research please let the researcher know by phone/txt/or email. Once you agree to participate the researcher will be in contact to arrange an interview time with you. A written consent will be signed before the interview begins. You will receive a copy of this signed consent form.
Your participation in this research is voluntary and whether or not you choose to participate will neither advantage nor disadvantage you. You are able to withdraw from the study at any time. If you choose to withdraw from the study prior to submission of the thesis, you may request your collected data be removed from the analysis. However, once the study findings have been produced, removal of your data may not be possible.
What will happen in this research?
2. A health or related field doctoral qualification obtained from a university in New Zealand, Australia, America or the United Kingdom, where a substantive part of the qualification was a thesis.
Participants in this research will have an in depth one to one semi structured interview with the researcher. Due to the geographical diversity of participants, and the unknown future of the current pandemic, some interviews may need to be conducted using video conferencing such as ZOOM or Microsoft TEAMS. However, in the first instance they will be done kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face). Interviews will be in a mutually agreed location. You may choose to bring your whānau to the interview to support you. Interviews will be audio recorded by a primary and a secondary recording device. The interviews will be transcribed using a combination of researcher transcription and a professional transcription service. The professional transcription service will have a confidentiality agreement in place prior to undertaking any work on the researcher’s behalf. Some demographic data will be collected including: gender, age, ethnicity, type of doctorate, and current clinical setting. The duration of interviews will be guided by the data, however, are expected to be approximately 60 minutes duration. If you give consent, the transcribed interview may be sent to you to be checked for accuracy. At this time any data that you decide you do not want included in the data analysis can be indicated for removal. The audio recordings and original transcripts will be stored on the AUT cloud under the researcher’s account to which only the researcher has access. A formal data management plan is available on request. Each interview will be de identified and allocated a code as an identifier to protect your privacy.
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How will my privacy be protected?
Your name and other identifying demographic data will not be published as part of this research. Each interview will be de identified and allocated a code to protect privacy. A table may be published as part of this research which will give details of the demographic break down of participants in this research, however demographic data will be withheld if it risks aiding the identification of participants The researcher plans to use direct in vivo quotes from interviews to support themes. These quotes will be carefully chosen to minimise the risk of being able to identify you through your language or experience. Aotearoa is a small country, the community of nurses smaller still, and the number of clinically based nurses with a doctoral qualification even smaller. Efforts to maintain your confidentiality will be made which include removing identifying
The primary benefit of this research is for the researcher to gain a doctoral qualification. The researcher hopes this research will further the conversation around doctoral education for New Zealand nurses. The findings will be used to create a set of guidelines for nurses, management, and organisations to promote, support, and optimise the roles of doctorally educated nurses in clinical practice. This may not directly benefit you, but may benefit future nurses who choose to undertake doctoral education and remain in clinical practice.
What are the benefits?
Participants can access free and confidential counselling support from AUT. The contact details for this counselling service are listed in the next section If you work for a District Health Board or Primary Healthcare Organisation you may also contact the Employee Assistance Programme.
let the receptionist know that you are a research participant, and provide the title of my research and my name and contact details as given in this Information Sheet.
AUT Student Counselling and Mental Health is able to offer three free sessions of confidential counselling support for adult participants in an AUT research project. These sessions are only available for issues that have arisen directly as a result of participation in the research and are not for other general counselling needs. To access these services, you will need to:
What are the discomforts and risks?
The researcher anticipates any risk to you during this research is minimal; however, questions around your personal experience and perceptions of practice may bring up unpleasant memories which you could find distressing. If you find yourself distressed, you may choose to stop the interview at any time. You may also choose to decline to answer a question or stop a line of questioning that is uncomfortable for you.
drop into our centre at WB203 City Campus, email counselling@aut.ac.nz or call 921 9998.
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You can find out more information about AUT counsellors and counselling on https://www.aut.ac.nz/student life/student support/counselling and mental health
How will these discomforts and risks be alleviated?
Any concerns regarding the nature of this project should be notified in the first instance to the Project Supervisor, Dr Catherine Cook, Catherine.Cook@aut.ac.nz, (09) 921 9999 ext. 6651
data from your interview, not identifying work places or geographical locations and referring to clinical specialities in board (i.e. primary healthcare). However, there remains a risk that your identity may become known or guessed when results become available. You will receive a copy of the results before publication in any media other than the thesis submission to AUT.
Researcher Contact Details: Gráinne McAnnalley: phone: 021 178 9971 email: gramce85@autuni.ac.nz
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Whom do I contact for further information about this research?
Please take your time to read through this document and discuss the contents with your whānau or anyone else you choose. Once you have made your decision feel free to contact me on 021 178 9971 or email gramca85@autuni.ac.nz
What are the costs of participating in this research?
What opportunity do I have to consider this invitation?
The researcher may contact you after a month has passed to see if you have any questions regarding this research or your participation.
Concerns regarding the conduct of the research should be notified to the Executive Secretary of AUTEC, ethics@aut.ac.nz , (+649) 921 9999 ext 6038.
What do I do if I have concerns about this research?
Project Supervisor Contact Details: Dr Catherine Cook, Catherine.Cook@aut.ac.nz, (09) 921 9999 ext. 6651 Dr Elissa McDonald, E Mcdonald@massey.ac.nz, (09) 414 0880 ext. 43860
Yes, you will be provided with a report on the findings of the research once available
The primary cost to you will be the time given for the interview and, if you consent, to the review of the transcription data. The time is expected to be around 60 minutes for the interview. If you consent, I estimate another 60 minutes for review of the transcription data and 60 120 minutes to review the thematic data once available.
Will I receive feedback on the results of this research?
Please keep this Information Sheet and a copy of the Consent Form for your future reference. You are also able to contact the research team as follows:
Approved by the Auckland University of Technology Ethics Committee on 17 Sept 2021, AUTEC Reference number 21/335.
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