Marieke has been researching the position of nursing assistants in long-term care for almost ten years. Together with the Dutch professional association V&VN, she developed a professional profile and a photo book to make nursing assistants more visible. Through the Dialogue Incubator, she and her colleague Kim explored how these initiatives could grow into meaningful dialogues between nursing assistants, managers and healthcare executives.
Why dialogue?
According to Marieke, nursing assistants do not always feel seen or heard within healthcare organisations, even though they are often the professionals who work most closely with patients. During an earlier research project, she and Kim developed a photo book for the profession. "We actually called it a dialogue book. We wanted to give nursing assistants something they could use to start conversations about their profession."
When they later received funding to organise dialogue sessions within healthcare organisations, the Dialogue Incubator provided the perfect opportunity to develop this further. “I've facilitated workshops before, but this is something quite different."
Dialogue in practice
During the Incubator, Marieke and Kim designed the structure of their dialogue sessions. Which dialogue method best fits which question? How long should a session last? And how do you create a safe environment in which nursing assistants feel comfortable speaking openly? "There are so many possibilities that you find yourself wondering: which one do you choose?"
Discussing their ideas with facilitators Frank Kupper and Sem Barendse, as well as with the other participants, helped them make more deliberate design choices. "You explain why you want to do something, and then someone asks a question you hadn't even considered yourself."
As the programme progressed, not only did the design of their dialogue sessions become sharper, but so did their expectations. "Originally, we had planned to spend much more time on the dialogue itself. But we realised that healthcare organisations are dealing with severe staff shortages, and that we're asking a lot from people."
What did it achieve?
Initially, Marieke hoped that a single dialogue session would lead directly to a concrete action plan. Over time, however, the focus shifted towards creating the right conditions for meaningful dialogue and selecting dialogue methods that truly fit the context. "Our ambitions have become more realistic."
For Marieke, that careful approach is essential if researchers want to do justice to the lived experiences of nursing assistants. "If I've interviewed fifteen nursing assistants, I would never feel comfortable going to a professional association and saying, 'Well, now I know exactly how things are.'"
For her, research without dialogue is simply inconceivable. "If nobody in the field finds your research relevant or useful, then why on earth would you do it?"
Read more about Marieke and Kim's project. In Dutch
Read the report on the photo book Invisible but Indispensable here. In Dutch
Author: Anna Aris
