Continuing professional development in nursing
Date
2006-03
Authors
Davids, Julia M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
The problem identified by the researcher, points to the fact that professional nurses in
South Africa are not aware that it is their responsibility to continue learning and to seek
learning opportunities in order to address their learning needs after obtaining a basic
nursing qualification. Continuing professional development (CPD) has been defined as
lifelong learning that takes place in a professional career after the point of qualification
and/or registration. The primary aim of continuing professional development (CPD) in
nursing is improvement of patient care. CPD in nursing enables professional nurse
practitioners to provide quality nursing care and service delivery to their patients and
clients.
The purpose of this research was to assess the need for continuing professional
development for professional nurses in order to develop criteria that would assist with the
provision of these programmes. The objectives of this research were to:
assess whether professional nurses are aware of their responsibility to
continue their education beyond their initial pre-service training;
assess the extent to which professional nurses participate in continuing
educational activities;
ascertain whether professional nurses support the introduction of
mandatory continuing professional development; and
determine the barriers to participation in continuing professional
development.
A survey, as a quantitative research design, was used in this research to collect the data
from a sample of professional nurses working at two public hospitals in the Western Cape
Province. A random sampling technique was used to select one hundred professional
nurses from a population of professional nurses that was dispersed over a wide
geographical area. This design enabled the researcher to use a questionnaire in order to
obtain the information needed for this research from the participants. The researcher also
conducted semi-structured interviews, which constitutes a qualitative approach to research, with ten professional nurses. The reason for using both research approaches was
that the quantitative approach helped the researcher to measure the responses from the
professional nurses objectively while the qualitative approach enabled the researcher to
describe the professional nurses’ own experience of their CPD activities.
A questionnaire, as the data collection instrument, was informed by the literature review.
It enabled the researcher to obtain the information from the sample of professional
nurses. The data collected included the demographic information of the sample, the
nurses’ participation in formal education, non-formal education and in-service education
as well as the reasons for and the barriers to participating in these programmes and their
views about mandatory continuing professional development. The questionnaire was selfadministered
and anonymous. The data obtained from the questionnaires and interviews
was analysed with the use of the Statistica program and a hand calculator. The process of
triangulation was used in this research to assess the reliability and the validity of the
research process.
The findings of this research indicated that the professional nurses included in this
research are aware that they have a responsibility to continue their education beyond their
initial pre-service training. Although these nurses are therefore aware that they have to
continue learning and that they have a responsibility to pursue lifelong learning, and even
though there are a significant number of professional nurses who have already
participated in CPD activities there are also a significant number of professional nurses
who have not yet participated in the CPD activities. Financial and accommodation
constraints, family responsibility, lack of advanced notification and staff shortages have
been identified as the barriers to CPD participation.
The researcher has identified that the professional nurse is in need of CPD. The findings
have indicated that the nurses in the sample do not support mandatory continuing
professional development but have indicated that they will use all formal and non-formal
learning opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills. According to the literature review, various authors have stressed that the concept of adult
learning should be incorporated in the provisions of the CPD programmes for nurses,
including the criteria on which these programmes should be based. Teaching and learning
strategies are to be employed that would ensure that nurses have the skills to learn and
relearn as knowledge develops. This will enable nurses to develop the skills that are
necessary for lifelong learning. Innovative strategies also referred to as self-directed
approaches to learning, such as problem-based learning, group discussions or projects
and learning contracts that will promote the development of lifelong learning skills.
CPD activities in nursing include formal, non-formal and in-formal learning
opportunities. Based on the literature review and the findings, the researcher recommends
that all professional nurses be granted the opportunity to attend a formal course to help
them to obtain a post-basic nursing qualification and that all professional nurses further
be encouraged to attend the hospital’s in-service education programmes and workshops
provided by the professional nursing societies.
The findings indicated that the sample professional nurses believed it is the individual
professional nurse’s responsibility to identify and evaluate his or her own learning needs
and be accountable for ensuring that those needs are met. Failure on the part of
professional nurses to accept that the responsibility to learn continually is theirs could
result in the inadequate delivery of nursing care.
Description
Thesis (MPhil (Curriculum Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2006.
Keywords
Dissertations -- Curriculum studies, Theses -- Curriculum studies, Nurses -- Education (Continuing education) -- South Africa, Nursing -- Study and teaching (Continuing education) -- South Africa