Role transition and emotional labour: Understanding the impact of a nursing development unit on staff and on the therapeutic milieu

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of a nursing development unit (NDU) upon the practitioners who work there. The ideas proposed are generated from research and evaluation undertaken in three different NDUs: critical care; care of the older person with mental health problems; and primary health care. A model is proposed which seeks to explain some of the more complex issues encountered by practitioners who rise to the challenge of being in an NDU. By exploring the process this initiates through the conceptual lens of role transition' and 'emotional labour', it is hoped to illuminate critical issues for consideration when managing the pace of change and when evaluating the outcome of the initiative.