title: The rhetoric and reality of nursing in aged care: views from the inside.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Aged care services and nursing roles are evolving in response to policy reform and increasing consumer expectations, however the nursing workforce is declining in numbers.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine registered nurses' perceptions and experiences of working in aged care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive, exploratory study involving thematic analysis of individual interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Key issues related to: professional role strain; workforce challenges; managing expectations, relationships and communication; balancing rights and risk in decision-making; changing models of care and impacts of policy and regulation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expectations and perceptions of aged care nursing are unclear and conflicted. Nurses face significant challenges in meeting consumer, profession, organisational, and policy expectations amidst workforce instability and resource constraints. Structural barriers and aged care policy environments represent significant threats to sustaining nursing in aged care.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, School of Primary Health Care , Monash University , Notting Hill , VIC 3168 , Australia.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, School of Primary Health Care , Monash University , Notting Hill , VIC 3168 , Australia.|b RDNS Research Institute , 31 Alma Rd St Kilda, VIC 3182 , Australia.
authors.forename: Amee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morgans
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, School of Primary Health Care , Monash University , Notting Hill , VIC 3168 , Australia.|c Nursing, Midwifery & Nutrition, College of Healthcare Sciences , James Cook University , Townsville , QLD , Australia.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Birks
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, School of Primary Health Care , Monash University , Notting Hill , VIC 3168 , Australia.|b RDNS Research Institute , 31 Alma Rd St Kilda, VIC 3182 , Australia.
authors.forename: Colette
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Browning
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D024382:Professional Role; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Australia; aged care; community care; nursing; residential care; roles