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The legacy of a paediatric nursing degree course

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Evidence-based Child Health Care
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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)

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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

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  • 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

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