The nursing dean's world : professional and personal lives

Purpose- The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study which aimed to describe the ways a group of deans of nursing integrated their professional and personal lives in their worlds. Methods- Oral histories were collected from a group of 30 deans from three countries – Canada, England and Australia. The data from the interviews were content analysed for themes related to the deans’ personal and professional life experiences. Through contrast and comparison of these themes, the researchers wrote a description of how the deans integrated their personal and professional lives. Results- The major themes that emerged from the analysis were: work demands, dual career partnerships, children come first, obtaining educational qualifications, other professional activities, and out of work activities. Conclusion- The world of the dean of nursing working in a complex university structure is complex and often impacts on the rest of their lives. However, it is important to see that their personal lives and how they live them can revitalise and give them emotional strength for their professional life. The study has implications for deans who need to reflect on how they integrate the two lives in their worlds by identifying stress and taking advantage of developmental opportunities.