The direction of my education changed
when I began a clinical master's degree at
Massey University. For my first assignment, I
found literature on ICU patients' experiences
of their illnesses. Consequently, I questioned
my practice, I wondered about my colleagues'
practice and I was interested in how patients
in the ICU experienced their illness trajec-
tory. In my final master's paper, I completed
a qualitative research report which, retro-
spectively, examined patients' experiences of
being in an ICU. Interviewing patients in their
own homes after a life-threatening illness was
a profound experience, as I learnt how their
experiences in ICU affected their well-being
after discharge, when they had minimal or no
support from health-care professionals.
A career change to lecturing at Massey
University continued my interest in patients'
experiences of illness. I encouraged students
to always consider patients' and their families'
perspectives. Working within a university, with
the focus on research, I knew I needed to fur-
ther my research skills and I enrolled in a PhD.
The challenges I had confronted in nursing
long-term ICU patients was an area I wanted
to explore further. However, I needed to refine
my research topic. While working in clinical
practice with students in an ICU, I did so.