Ethnography and ethics in your own workplace: Reconceptualising dialysis care from an insider nurse researcher

Abstract

This chapter presents reflections on the author’s experience in conducting ethnographic research in a setting in which they had an existing professional role as a registered and practising nurse. The position held and how this was negotiated within the research and clinical environment highlight the role ethnography can play for nurses researching in healthcare settings. In particular, this chapter highlights the positional complexities of adopting both ‘insider’ ethnographer and professional roles in a healthcare context, and the insights this generated around the partial forms of knowledge that emerge. The dual status of the researcher provided a unique position in a complex setting and shaped the generation of ethnographic findings.