Research carried out by Dr Vanya Aquilina has revealed that nurses and health middle managers fulfil contradictory and competing demands in healthcare contexts, leading them to experience intense emotion and struggles to achieve a balance between conflicting situations.

Middle managers who Dr Aquilina interviewed suggested that such personnel would benefit from communities of practice development approaches and mentoring programmes to help them cope with workplace demands and the contradictions in their role.

Dr Aquilina conducted the research for her thesis on the leadership experience of healthcare managers in acute healthcare settings in Malta, in part-fulfilment of the award of a doctor of health degree by the University of Bath. The degree was partially funded by the Malta Government Scholarship Scheme.