Nurses' motivations for studying third level post-registration nursing programmes and the effects of studying on their personal and work lives

Motherhood experiences of nurses receiving postgraduate education: A phenomenological research study

OBJECTIVE

Trying to juggle multiple roles and responsibilities as a student, nurse, and mother can be challenging due to pressures from overlapping time management. This study was conducted to explore the experiences of graduate students who work as nurses and are mothers.

METHODS

The qualitative phenomenological data for this study were gathered from nurses at a training and research hospital between August and November 2022, utilizing face-to-face interviews. The study cohort comprised twelve nurses aged 28 to 48, all actively engaged in postgraduate education. Data were collected using a descriptive information form and semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was executed through inductive coding, facilitated by the Max Qualitative Data Analysis (MAXQDA) Analytics Pro2022 software.

RESULTS

Four central themes were developed: "Experiences During the Breastfeeding Process," "Positive Effects," "Encountered Challenges," and "Expectations."

CONCLUSIONS

The findings underscored that nurses who are mothers and pursuing postgraduate education encounter difficulties throughout their academic pursuits, notably attributed to working conditions and professional cultural values.

Pharmacists' perspectives on the impact of postgraduate distance learning on their well-being: A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

Undertaking postgraduate education is becoming increasingly common among United Kingdom (UK) pharmacists to facilitate career progression. However, whilst there is evidence that postgraduate study can negatively affect well-being (defined as when "an individual is feeling good and functioning positively"), there is a lack of research into the well-being of pharmacists as postgraduate learners. This study therefore aimed to explore pharmacist learners' perceptions of the impact on their well-being of undertaking a distance learning postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy at a UK university.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews with students enrolled in a postgraduate clinical pharmacy diploma programme were conducted using Microsoft Teams (Microsoft, Corp). An interview guide was developed according to the aim of the study and modified iteratively. Recruitment continued until data saturation was achieved. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed by thematic analysis using the principles of constant comparison.

RESULTS

The results highlighted three themes: juggling act, transition and support, and attitudes to study and well-being. Participants reported struggling to juggle multiple commitments; The transition to postgraduate education was described as difficult; university communication methods as well as insufficient employer support were reported to have had a negative impact on well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted further on well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study add to the literature that postgraduate study whilst working may negatively affect pharmacist learners' well-being. This may help universities, employers, and learners develop strategies to prevent, where possible, and better manage challenges that can lead to poor well-being among learners.

Factors affecting nurses' decision to undergo a specialist education and to choose a specialty

AIMS

The aims of the study were to identify factors affecting nurses' decision to undergo specialist education and choose a specialty and to describe differences between specialization areas with different types of care.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional design.

METHODS

A survey was conducted among specialist nurse students in three nursing colleges in Sweden (n = 227). Instruments such as Big Five Inventory and RAND-36 and items earlier used by Bexelius and Olsson were included. Survey data were analysed by using descriptive and analytical statistics, and for open-ended question qualitative content analysis was used.

RESULTS

Wage benefit during the education was regarded by 47% as an incentive to start studies. Most of the specialist nurse students considered an opportunity for new tasks (75%), new areas of responsibility (75%), intellectual challenges (72%) and higher wages (71%) to be of high importance when choosing a specialty. However, the students in specialization areas with transitory care-rated challenges regarding the practical skills (84%) and the occurrence of acute events (82%) higher.

CONCLUSION

Although higher wages were important to make nurses feel that they will get value from the education, there were also other important aspects, such as opportunity for new tasks, new areas of responsibility and intellectual challenges that influenced nurses' willingness to undergo a specialist education. Our findings provide employers with the useful information to guide and influence nurses' decisions to enter specialist education and their choice of specialist area.

Impact of a critical care postgraduate certificate course on nurses' self-reported competence and confidence: A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Postgraduate education is said to support the development of nurses' professional competence and confidence, essential to the delivery of safe and effective care. However, there is a shortness of empirical evidence to demonstrate an increase to nurses' self-reported confidence and competence on completion of critical care postgraduate certificate-level education.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the impact of a critical care postgraduate certificate course on nurses' self-reported competence and confidence. To explore the psychometric properties and performance of the Critical Care Competence and Confidence Questionnaire.

DESIGN

A quasi-experimental pre/post-test design.

PARTICIPANTS

A total population sample of nurses completing a critical care postgraduate certificate course at an Australian University.

METHODS

The Critical Care Competence and Confidence Questionnaire was developed for this study to measure nurses' self-reported competence and confidence at baseline and follow up. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to explore sample characteristics and changes between baseline and follow-up. Reliability of the questionnaire was explored using Cronbach's Alpha and item-total correlations.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant increase in competence and confidence between baseline and follow-up across all questionnaire domains. Satisfactory reliability estimates were found for the questionnaire.

CONCLUSIONS

Completion of a critical care postgraduate certificate course significantly increased nurses' perceived competence and confidence. The Critical Care Competence and Confidence Questionnaire was found to be psychometrically sound for measuring nurses' self-reported competence and confidence.

Educating new graduate nurses in their first year of practice: The perspective and experiences of the new graduate nurses and the director of nursing

New graduate nurses are the future of nursing and the education they receive as they transition into the workforce as a newly registered nurse is critical for building a suitably qualified nursing workforce that will adequately serve the future population. Variation exists in education programmes for new graduate nurses in their first year of practice which is known to impact on transition experience. A qualitative study using focus groups and semi-structured interviews was undertaken to explore the experiences and perceptions of New Graduate Nurses undertaking a new graduate programme and Directors of Nursing supporting them to complete the programme which may or may not have been inclusive of a postgraduate course (Masters Level). The findings of this study are in line with previous research and support the value of new graduate programmes but did reveal a lack of consensus in regards to the structure and content of such programmes. This study revealed some commonalities and challenges between the differing programmes but has identified the need for further research to establish the impact of postgraduate education in the first year of practice and how this impacts on nursing practice and patient care. There are numerous terms in the literature with reference to new graduate programmes; transition to practice programme, nurse entry to practice programme, first year of clinical practice programme, new graduate programme and early career nursing programme. For the purpose of this article the term Nurse Entry to Practice (NETP) will be used in reference to any form of new graduate programme.

Kaj študente zdravstvene nege motivira za učenje in kako ocenjujejo simulirano klinično usposabljanje

Uvod: Način in organiziranost študija, dostopnost do gradiv, odnos do študentov in študijska klima lahko vplivajo na zunanjo motivacijo študentov. Namen raziskave je bil ugotoviti motivacijske dejavnike za študij pri študentih zdravstvene nege in kakšen pomen pripisujejo simuliranemu kliničnemu usposabljanju. Metode: Raziskava je potekala leta 2011 na Zdravstveni fakulteti Univerze v Ljubljani. Uporabljena je bila opisna kvantitativna metoda dela, podatki so bili zbrani z anketiranjem študentov drugega in tretjega letnika zdravstvene nege. Pri raziskavi je sodelovalo 159 naključno izbranih študentov, uporabili smo strukturiran vprašalnik in petstopenjsko lestvico. Vprašalnik je bil razdeljen na tri sklope: motivacija, zadovoljstvo in stroški študija. Podatki so bili analizirani z opisno in bivariatno statistiko. Rezultati: Želja po pridobivanju dodatnega znanja (x = 4,3) in želja po višji izobrazbi (x = 4,26) sta se najvišje uvrstila na petstopenjski lestvici motivacijskih dejavnikov. Nekaterih negovalnih intervencij študentje na kliničnem usposabljanju še niso imeli možnosti izvesti (x = 3,97), menijo pa, da je bilo v simuliranem kliničnem okolju dovolj časa za izvajanje negovalnih intervencij (x = 1,91). Diskusija in zaključek: Študentje so visoko notranje motivirani za študij zdravstvene nege. Menijo, da je simulirano klinično usposabljanje pomembno za pridobivanje teoretičnih in praktičnih znanj.

Reaching their potential: Perceived impact of a collaborative academic-clinical partnership programme for early career nurses in New Zealand

BACKGROUND

The dynamic nature of healthcare ensures that early career nurses enter an uncertain and complex world of practice and consequently require support to develop their practice, build confidence and reach their potential. The New Zealand Nurse Entry to Practice programme for registered nurses in their first year of practice has been operating since 2005 to enable safe and confident practice, improve the quality of care, and positively impact on recruitment and retention. This academic and clinical programme was offered as a partnership between a university and a clinical provider with postgraduate academic credits gained.

AIM

The aim of this study was to explore the perceived impact of postgraduate university education for early career nurses in one regional health area of New Zealand.

METHODS

Participants were registered nurses who had completed the early career nurse programme and their clinical preceptors. The research was conducted via an online survey of 248 nurses and three focus groups to explore how the programme was experienced and its impact on knowledge and practice.

RESULTS

Early career nurses and their preceptors found that the programme enables improved knowledge and skills of patient assessment, application of critical thinking to clinical practice, perceived improvement in patient care delivery and outcomes, enhanced interprofessional communication and knowledge sharing, and had a positive impact on professional awareness and career planning.

CONCLUSIONS

This clinical-academic partnership positively impacted on the clinical practice and transition experience of early career nurses and was closely aligned to an organization's strategic plan for nursing workforce development.

Nursing Educational Motivation and Barriers Inventory

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The major purposes of the study are revision of the Nursing Educational Motivation and Barriers Inventory (NEMBI) and translation of it into Arabic.

METHODS

NEMBI was translated into Arabic, then back-translated to ensure the accuracy of the translation. The translation and back-translation of NEMBI were accurate and identical. A panel of experts provided content validation. Reliability was evaluated in a pilot test. For the larger study, 158 Saudi nurses completed the NEMBI.

RESULTS

Exploratory factor analysis yielded 8 factors. NEMBI is a valid and reliable tool for use in Arabic-speaking populations.

CONCLUSION

As nursing education is transformed in Arabic-speaking norms, this tool provides a valid and reliable means for examining motivational factors that influence nurses' decision to return to school to advance their education.

Decentralized nursing education in northern Norway: a basis for continuing education to meet competence needs in rural Arctic healthcare services

BACKGROUND

Ensuring a sufficient nursing workforce, with respect to both number and relevant professional competencies, is crucial in rural Arctic regions in Norway. This study examines the continuing education (CE) of nurses who graduated from a decentralized nursing programme between 1994 and 2011.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to measure the extent to which the decentralized nursing education (DNE) in question has served as a basis for CE that is adapted to current and future community health care service needs in rural Arctic regions in northern Norway. More specifically, the study aims to investigate the frequency and scope of CE courses among the graduates of a DNE, the choice of study model and the degree of employment with respect to the relevant CE.

DESIGN

This study is a quantitative survey providing descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

The primary finding in this study is that 56% of the participants had engaged in CE and that they were employed in positions related to their education. The majority of students with decentralized bachelor's degrees engaged in CE that was part time and/or decentralized.

CONCLUSIONS

More than half of the population in this study had completed CE despite no mandatory obligation in order to maintain licensure. Furthermore, 31% of the participants had completed more than one CE programme. The findings show that the participants preferred CE organized as part time and or decentralized studies.

The Power of Synergy: An Academic/Clinical Partnership for Transformational Change

Background. A programme of postgraduate study was developed in partnership between a health board and a university in New Zealand, having identified critical thinking and practice change as key determinants of good care delivery. Aim. To explore the impact after 12 months of a postgraduate programme for registered nurses on patient assessment and clinical reasoning, and the status of implementation plans for improved patient care. Design. Outcome evaluation using a survey and focus groups. Setting. On location at a hospital in a small city in New Zealand that provides healthcare services for 102,000 people across rural and urban areas. Participants. Registered nurses who had completed the programme (N=28) and seven clinical mentors. Methods. A survey, focus groups, and follow-up data about quality improvement projects were used to explore how the programme was experienced and its impact. Results. The survey revealed perceptions of improved knowledge and skills but a lack of confidence in communicating with medical staff. Of 28 quality improvement projects planned, all but three had been implemented and were still in use. Two themes were generated from focus group data: “new ways of thinking” and “doing things differently.” Conclusions. This academic/clinical partnership positively influenced nurses’ knowledge and skills, encouraged critical thinking and self-efficacy, and resulted in the sustained implementation of nurse-initiated projects intended to improve patient care.

Implementing a collaborative framework for academic support for registered nurses

This paper describes the collaboration between a national health service acute hospital trust and a higher education institution, to implement a framework for academic support for registered nurses undertaking learning beyond registration. A small percentage of the educational budget was utilised to fund two academic staff (0.6 whole time equivalent) to work within the trusts' own learning and development department. The initial aim of the project was to maximise the utilisation of the funding available for learning beyond registration study. The focus of the project was at both a strategic level and with individual staff. Embedding within the culture of the trust was important for the academic staff to understand and gain the service/user perspective to some of the barriers or issues concerning learning beyond registration. Following a scoping exercise, the multiplicity of issues that required action led to the creation of an academic support framework. This framework identified potential for intervention in 4 phases: planning for study, application and access to learning, during study and outcome of study. Interventions were identified that were complimentary and adjuncts to the academic support provided by the higher education institution. New resources and services were also developed such as pathway planning support and study skill workshops. One important resource was a dedicated point of contact for staff. A "live" database also proved useful in tracking and following-up students.

Perioperative nurses' experiences as students: the perceived status of being at university

Literature relating to student experience during post-registration education is limited, and focuses on the outcome of the education rather than on the perspectives of the practitioner about what it is like to be a student. This paper illustrates perceptions of 23 perioperative nurses (the participants) with respect to their experiences as students during continuing professional education. Interviews indicated that, whilst study could be stressful, all the nurses enjoyed their educational experiences. Possession of a university student identification card was perceived as symbolic of raised social status.

Motivations to nurse: an exploration of what motivates students in Pacific Island countries to enter nursing

The aim of this study was to explore the motivations of student nurses enrolled in nursing courses across a variety of Pacific Island countries. The image of nursing, the desire to help others, family and friends in the profession, personal experience, security, travel opportunities and flexibility have all been identified as motivators for people to enter nursing. To date, what motivates students in Pacific Island countries to enrol in a nursing course has not been investigated. An exploratory qualitative approach using focus group interviews with 152 nursing students was undertaken. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis, revealing four themes: (i) helping others; (ii) 'making a difference for my people'; (iii) following in the footsteps of others; and (iv) financial and professional gain. In a time of health and nursing workforce shortages, developing a deeper understanding of what drives people can be used to improve recruitment strategies in the future.

The relationship between continuing professional education and horizontal violence in perioperative practice

Continuing professional development must be undertaken by all registered perioperative practitioners. However, interviews with 23 perioperative nurses employed by one NHS trust suggested a link between workplace culture and intra-professional conflict which was associated with horizontal violence and perceived as a direct consequence of formal study. Such experiences appeared to affect participants' study and their psychological wellbeing. Further work is required to explore this concept.

Secret study: a new concept in continuing professional education

Formal post-registration continuing professional education (CPE) has been explored previously, however, not from the perspectives of perioperative nurses. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with 23 perioperative nurses who had recent experience of formal university-based study. Analysis of interview transcripts revealed the extent to which participants revealed their CPE lay on a continuum; some told all colleagues they were studying ('public study') whilst others told no-one ('secret study'). These decisions appeared to relate to the cultural discourse of their workplace, participants' academic confidence, and potential ramifications of failure. The concept of 'secret study' has not previously been explored, but is of significance to both nurses and educators: further research is required to indicate transferability of these findings outside of perioperative care.

Reflecting on some of the challenges facing postgraduate nursing education in South Africa

Considering the dearth of professional nurses in South Africa today, and the fact that postgraduate nursing education can contribute towards enhancing the competences of those in the profession, I shall examine some of the challenges faced by a group of previously enrolled postgraduate nursing students which resulted in their non-completion of a formal qualification. The focus of this investigation was a 2008 cohort of students that did not complete their non-clinical postgraduate diplomas at the institution where I work. Of the 29 students who did not complete their studies, I have selected a group of 8 students through a purposive non-random sample with the objective to ascertain some of the reasons for them not completing their diploma. My aim was to examine some of the reasons as to why postgraduate nursing students do not complete their qualification and to suggest ways as to how the curriculum can be reconstructed as to counteract some of students' pitfalls. Based on my qualitative interpretive analysis, I shall argue that these students did not complete their diplomas on the grounds of, having experienced a lack of institutional and social support; their inability to cope with the demands of academic rigour; their experiences of isolation and exclusion; and, the inability to cope with unimagined realities. My contention is that if postgraduate nursing is not adequately attended to, the possibility that nursing education would not contribute to the transformation of the profession, is highly possible.

Employer-based support for registered nurses undertaking postgraduate study via distance education

Previous literature has focused on the need for support of undergraduate nursing students during clinical placements. Little is known about the support provided by employers for registered nurses (RNs) who pursue further education. This study sought to identify and describe the types, levels and perceived need for support in the workplace for RNs as they undertake further postgraduate nursing study by distance education (DE). Using an exploratory descriptive design a self-report questionnaire was distributed to a convenient sample of 270 RNs working in one acute care public hospital in Tasmania, Australia. 92 questionnaires (response rate 34%) were returned with 26 (28%) reporting being currently enrolled in further study by DE and a further 50 (54)% of RNs planning future study. Results revealed that 100% of participants with a Masters degree completed this by DE. There were differences between the support sought by RNs to that offered by employers, and 16 (34%) who had done or were currently doing DE study, received no support to undertake DE. There was an overwhelming desire by RNs for support; 87 (94%), with a majority believing some support should be mandatory 76 (83%). This study may encourage employers to introduce structured support systems that will actively assist nurses to pursue further study.