“A small cog in a large wheel” : an exploratory study into the experiences of porters, ward clerks and domestics working in an English Cancer Centre

Mack, Hazel and Froggatt, Katherine and McClinton, Pam (2003) “A small cog in a large wheel” : an exploratory study into the experiences of porters, ward clerks and domestics working in an English Cancer Centre. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 7 (3). pp. 153-161. ISSN 1462-3889

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Abstract

The effect of working in an oncology environment on nurses has been widely researched but the experiences of non-clinical staff such as ancillary workers in the oncology environment have rarely been examined. This exploratory study had three aims: to explore ancillary workers’ understandings of cancer, their experiences of working in a Cancer Centre and their training and support needs. Working within a naturalistic paradigm, a descriptive exploratory design was utilised employing in-depth interviews and drawing on aspects of grounded theory for data analysis. Findings indicated that these ancillary workers lacked an in-depth understanding of cancer. The experience of working in a Cancer Centre appeared to bring both costs and benefits to these ancillary workers. These ancillary workers enjoyed the level of contact they have with patients in a Cancer Centre and subsequently ascribed great value to their jobs. However, they felt that health-care professional colleagues did not always value their contribution to the care of patients. There are implications for nurses and other health-care staff working in oncology alongside these ancillary staff in terms of valuing and supporting them in the work that they do.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
European Journal of Oncology Nursing
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2900/2917
Subjects:
?? ancillary workerscancer carecancer beliefs and cancer attitudesoncology(nursing)r medicine (general) ??
ID Code:
31975
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
01 Mar 2010 12:01
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
28 Nov 2023 11:07