Dr Kerri-ann Hughes1, Ms Gemma Bidwell, Professor Camille Cronin, Dr Sara Donevant, Professor Marja Kaunonen, Dr Jette Marcussen, Professor Rhonda Wilson
1School Of Nursing, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Nurse researchers from United Kingdom, Australia, Finland, New Zealand, United States and Denmark met to work on a collaborative project exploring the impact menopause has on nurses in the workplace. The narrative “expectations versus Realities” is one of four narratives that became apparent during the course of the research.
Aim is to understand participants initial expectations, and what actually happened when they experienced peri, during and post menopause.
A qualitative exploratory study where researchers in their individual countries conducted focus groups to explore nurse’s narratives on menopause.
Nurse researchers conducted focus groups with registered nurses recruited from: UK (n=11), Finland (n=6), Australia (n=8), New Zealand (n=9), USA (n = 8) and Denmark (n = 6).
Integrative literature review and thematic analysis using Braun & Clark (2016) to review and validate findings from participants on the narrative – expectations versus realities peri, during and post menopause.
Participants provided mixed responses where the realities of going through menopause was not what they had expected.
In summary awareness and knowledge of the menopausal period needs to become a more open and practical discussion for both nurses and women focusing on normalizing menopause whilst also providing practical strategies.
Biography:
Kia ora. I am a Senior Lecturer at the School of Nursing, Massey University, located on the Manawatu Campus, New Zealand. I teach across both undergraduate and postgraduate nursing courses. My research interests are in Women’s Health, Menopause, Health Service and Nursing Leadership and Men in Nursing. I am currently involved in two international collaborations involving women’s health projects (one on menopause in the nursing workplace and the other on mother’s traumatic birth incidences. I am also involved in a men in nursing project looking at how we attract more male nurses into nursing.