Abstract
This chapter is based upon a longitudinal empirical study investigating paediatric nursing graduates’ views of their first year of professional practice (Dearmun, 1997a). The legacy of a paediatric nursing degree programme was explored, and evidence was gathered in relation to two aspects that were relevant to this chapter and had salience for education and practice. The first was that the BA (Hons) Paediatric Nursing course appeared to have had a lasting influence on the extent to which the nurses embraced client-centred care and continued to demonstrate a commitment to research and reflection after they had qualified. Second, the milieu exerted an influence in shaping the newly qualified nurses’ impressions of their graduate status and their approaches to their work. These findings have implications for the retention and recruitment of newly qualified staff and may help to inform rotational and other professional development programmes.
If I am not happy about a certain way of doing something I’ll go and read about it, get the research, talk to people and question things rather than just carry it out because I saw someone else doing it that way. (Quotation from qualified children’s nursing graduate)
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Benner P. (1984) From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing, Menlo Park, CA, Addison-Wesley.
Benner P., Tanner C. A. and Chesla C. A. (1996) Expertise in Nursing Practice: Caring, Clinical Judgement and Ethics, New York, Springer.
Bircumshaw D. and Chapman C. M. (1988) ‘A follow up of the graduates of the Cardiff Bachelor of Nursing Degree Course’, Journal of Advanced Nursing 13 (2): 273–9.
Buckingham S. (1996) Baseline nursing skills development in Project 2000 Child Branch Nurses: an exploratory study. King’s College, London, unpublished MSc thesis.
Cohen L. and Manion L. (1989) Research Methods in Education (3rd edn), London, Routledge.
Dearmun A. K. (1988) ‘Perceptions of stress’, Journal of Child Health 2 (3): 132–7.
Dearmun A. K. (1996) ‘Reflection: continuing education series’, Paediatric Nursing 8 (3): 30–3.
Dearmun A. K. (1997a) Paediatric nurses’ perceptions of their first year of professional practice. Reading University, Reading, unpublished PhD thesis.
Dearmun A. K. (1997b) ‘Assessing practice at degree level’, Paediatric Nursing 9 (1): 25–9.
Department of Health (1998) A First Class Service: Quality in the New NHS (White Paper), London, DoH.
Giger J. N. and Davidhizar R. E. (1990) ‘Conceptual and theoretical approaches to patient care: Associate versus Baccalaureate Degree prepared nurses’, Journal of Advanced Nursing 15 (9): 1009–15.
Harding R. (1997) ‘Reflections on family-centred care’, Paediatric Nursing 9 (9): 19–21.
Horsburgh M. (1989) ‘Graduate nurses’ adjustment to initial employment: natural field work’, Journal of Advanced Nursing 14 (4): 610–17.
Kelly B. (1991) ‘The professional values of English nursing undergraduates’, Journal of Advanced Nursing 16 (7): 867–72.
Kelly B. (1996) ‘Hospital nursing: “It’s a battle!” A follow up study of English graduate nurses’, Journal of Advanced Nursing 24 (5): 1063–9.
Kramer M. (1974) Reality Shock: Why Nurses Leave the Profession, St Louis, C. V. Mosby.
Lawler T. G. and Rose M. A. (1987) ‘Professionalism: a comparison among generic Baccalaureate and RN/BSN nurses’, Nurse Educator 12 (3): 19–22.
Leininger M. M. (1985) Qualitative Research Methods in Nursing, London, W. B. Saunders.
Luker K. A. (1984) ‘Reading nursing: the burden of being different’, International Journal of Nursing Studies 21 (1): 1–7.
Macleod Clarke J., Maben J. and Jones K. (1997) ‘Project 2000: perceptions of the philosophy and practice of nursing: shifting perceptions–a new practitioner?’, Journal of Advanced Nursing 26 (1): 161–8.
Melia K. M. (1981) Student nurses accounts of their work and training: a qualitative analysis. University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, unpublished PhD thesis.
Miller A. (1992) ‘Outcomes evaluation: measuring critical thinking’, Journal of Advanced Nursing 17 (12): 1401–7.
Mulhall A. (1998) ‘Nursing, research and the evidence’, Evidence Based Nursing 1 (1): 4–6.
Murray L. M. and Morris D. R. (1982) Professional autonomy among senior nursing students in Diploma, Associate Degree, Baccalaureate nursing programmes’, Nursing Research 31 (5): 311–13.
O’Brien D. (1984) ‘Evaluation of an undergraduate nursing course’, Journal of Advanced Nursing 9 (4): 401–6.
Pinch W. J. (1985) ‘Ethical dilemmas in nursing: the role of the nurse and perceptions of autonomy’, Journal of Nursing Education 24 (9): 372–6.
Rogers R. (1988) ‘Nursing by degrees’, Paediatric Nursing 1 (1): 4–6.
Rothman R. A. (1998) Working Sociological Perspectives (2nd edn), New Jersey, Prentice Hall.
Spradley J. P. (1979) The Ethnographic Interview, London, Holt Rinehart & Winston.
Stevens J (1997) ‘Improving integration between research and practice as a means of developing evidence based health care’, Nursing Times Research 2 (1): 7–15.
Swanson-Kauffman K. M. (1986) ‘A combined qualitative methodology for nursing research’, Advances in Nursing Science 1 (2): 58–69.
Thompson M. A. (1998) ‘Closing the gap between nursing research and practice’, Evidence Based Nursing 1 (1): 7–8.
UKCC (1986) Project 2000: A New Preparation for Practice, London, UKCC.
Witts P. (1992) ‘Patient advocacy in nursing’. In Soothill K., Henry C. and Kendrick K. (eds) Themes and Perspectives in Nursing, London, Chapman & Hall.
Wooton S. J. (1997) ‘The reflective process as a tool for learning: a personal account’, Paediatric Nursing 9 (2): 6–8.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2000 The Editor(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dearmun, A. (2000). The legacy of a paediatric nursing degree course. In: Glasper, E.A., Ireland, L. (eds) Evidence-based Child Health Care. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-333-98239-6_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-333-98239-6_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-80230-4
Online ISBN: 978-0-333-98239-6
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)