A phenomenological investigation of pre-qualifying nursing, midwifery and social work students’ perceptions of learning from patients and clients in practice settings

Government policies have emphasised the importance of patient and client involvement in all aspects of health and social care delivery, with a corresponding impetus for their involvement in the education of practitioners. Professional education programmes adopt andragogical, student-centred approaches and incorporate both academic and practice based learning and assessments. Practice experience is recognised as a crucial aspect of student learning and has become a major focus of quality reviews in health and social care education. Whilst it might seem self-evident that students on practice placements will learn from their interactions with patients and clients, this is a relatively neglected area for formal modeling, evaluation and research. This study, therefore, explores pre-qualifying nursing, midwifery and social work students’ experiences of learning from patients and clients during practice placements. The research project is underpinned by a descriptive phenomenological approach and the extensive data are analysed using phenomenological reduction (Giorgi, 1989a; 1989b). Two key themes and six categories emerged from the data. The first theme is presented as the ‘Ways of Learning’ and this comprises the categories of: facilitation of learning; critical incidents/patient stories; and role modeling. The second theme is presented as the ‘Nature of Learning’ and comprises three categories: professional ideals; professional relationships; and understanding patients’ and clients’ perspectives. It is evident that contemporary theories, including andragogy, social learning, experiential, reflective and transformative learning theories, remain relevant to professional education. The new knowledge obtained in this research is that the most powerful learning opportunities result from unplanned, informal learning opportunities involving interactions with patients and clients. However, this is not fully explained by these contemporary learning theories. This thesis will, therefore, argue that complexity theory is relevant to the requirements of professional education programmes. It will present an overarching framework to explain the data from this study and will propose strategies to harness the complexity inherent in this important aspect of student learning

Understanding public trust in services provided by community pharmacists relative to those provided by general practitioners: a qualitative study

Current UK initiatives, which aim to implement a range of pharmacist-led services, are undermined by lack of public trust. It seems improbable that the public will trust pharmacists to deliver unfamiliar services, which are perceived to be ‘high risk’, unless health systems change in a way that promotes trust in pharmacists. This may be achieved by increasing the quality and quantity of patient interactions with pharmacists and gaining GP support for extended pharmacy services

Mentoring student nurses in Uganda: a phenomenological study of mentors’ perceptions of their own knowledge and skills.

This paper will report on the findings of a qualitative research study exploring mentorship in a rural hospital in Uganda. It explored how mentors perceived their roles and their own knowledge and skills in mentoring nurse students. Participants were confident in their ability to teach clinical skills, but they identified gaps in relation to the application of theory to these skills and they identified the need to update their own knowledge and to act more on their own initiative. The paper reports on the nature of the relationship between mentor and students, the teaching approaches used and the challenges of the role. Recommendations are proposed to develop a bespoke Ugandan curriculum to prepare mentors for their role, and to provide additional support, to enhance students’ experiences of learning in this context

Describing interruptions, multi-tasking and task-switching in the community pharmacy: A qualitative study in England

Background: There is growing evidence base around interruptions and distractions in the community pharmacy setting. There is also evidence to suggest these practices may be associated with dispensing errors. Up to date, qualitative research on this subject is limited. Objective: To explore interruptions and distractions in the community setting; utilising an ethnographic approach to be able to provide a detailed description of the circumstances surrounding such practices. Setting: Community pharmacies in England, July to October 2011. Method: An ethnographic approach was taken. Non participant, unstructured observations were utilised to make records of pharmacists’ every activities. Case studies were formed by combining field notes with detailed information on pharmacists and their respective pharmacy businesses. Content analysis was undertaken both manually and electronically, utilising NVivo 10. Results: Response rate was 12% (n=11). Over fifteen days, a total of 123 hours and 58 minutes of observations were recorded in 11 separate pharmacies of 11 individual pharmacists. The sample was evenly split by gender (female n=6; male n=5) and pharmacy ownership (independent n=5; multiple n=6). Employment statuses included employee pharmacists (n=6), owners (n=4) and a locum (n=1). Average period of registration as a pharmacist was 19 years (range 5-39 years). Average prescriptions busyness of pharmacies ranged from 2,600 – 24,000 items dispensed per month. Two key themes were: “Interruptions and task-switching” and “distractions and multi-tasking.” All observed pharmacists’ work was dominated by interruptions, task-switches, distractions and multi-tasking, often to manage a barrage of conflicting demands. These practices were observed to be part of a deep-rooted culture in the community setting. Directional work maps illustrated the extent and direction of task switching employed by pharmacists. Conclusions: In this study pharmacists’ working practices were permeated by interruptions and multi-tasking. These practices are inefficient and potentially reduce patient safety in terms of dispensing accuracy

A phenomenological investigation of pre-qualifying nursing, midwifery and social work students' perceptions of learning from patients and clients in practice settings

Government policies have emphasised the importance of patient and client involvement in all aspects of health and social care delivery, with a corresponding impetus for their involvement in the education of practitioners. Professional education programmes adopt andragogical, student-centred approaches and incorporate both academic and practice based learning and assessments. Practice experience is recognised as a crucial aspect of student learning and has become a major focus of quality reviews in health and social care education. Whilst it might seem self-evident that students on practice placements will learn from their interactions with patients and clients, this is a relatively neglected area for formal modeling, evaluation and research. This study, therefore, explores pre-qualifying nursing, midwifery and social work students’ experiences of learning from patients and clients during practice placements. The research project is underpinned by a descriptive phenomenological approach and the extensive data are analysed using phenomenological reduction (Giorgi, 1989a; 1989b). Two key themes and six categories emerged from the data. The first theme is presented as the ‘Ways of Learning’ and this comprises the categories of: facilitation of learning; critical incidents/patient stories; and role modeling. The second theme is presented as the ‘Nature of Learning’ and comprises three categories: professional ideals; professional relationships; and understanding patients’ and clients’ perspectives. It is evident that contemporary theories, including andragogy, social learning, experiential, reflective and transformative learning theories, remain relevant to professional education. The new knowledge obtained in this research is that the most powerful learning opportunities result from unplanned, informal learning opportunities involving interactions with patients and clients. However, this is not fully explained by these contemporary learning theories. This thesis will, therefore, argue that complexity theory is relevant to the requirements of professional education programmes. It will present an overarching framework to explain the data from this study and will propose strategies to harness the complexity inherent in this important aspect of student learning.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

CPTs’ perceptions of their role satisfaction and levels of professional burnout

This paper reports on a multi-method research project that explored perceived role satisfaction and professional burnout among community practice teachers (CPTs) while facilitating postregistration education and caseload management. A bespoke Satisfaction Questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Educators) were completed by 23 participants to elicit quantitative and qualitative data. Findings are presented in relation to three themes – aspects of the CPT role leading to satisfaction, aspects leading to dissatisfaction or burnout, and ways to enhance satisfaction and reduce burnout. The majority of CPTs were satisfied with their current role. A number of factors were elicited that affected participants’ perceived satisfaction. Respondents scored low levels of burnout overall, with high levels of personal accomplishment and low levels of depersonalisation. The relationship between participants’ satisfaction and their levels of burnout was not found to be statistically significant. However, mean scores on the emotional exhaustion subscale indicate moderate levels of emotional exhaustion. The paper concludes with recommendations to improve the support provided by employers and partner universities for CPTs

Practice educators in the United Kingdom: A national job description

Much is known about the purpose of practice educators in the United Kingdom, but how ther role is implemented is subject to conflicting expectations, partly created by the structure in which they work. Joint appointments between universities and practice are an opportunity for both organisations to collaborate in a partnership to enhance practice learning and to fulfill one of the main aims of the practice educator role: to narrow the theory-practice gap. However tensions exist. This paper advocates a national (UK) job description for practice educators to reduce some of the tensions and conflict between expectations of collaborating partners in practice learning. This would enable practice educators to concentrate on their obligations while employers concentrate on enabling practice educators to fulfill their obligations by upholding their rights to proper preparation, support and career structur

The Architectural Moment: construction and disruption of the creative process

Beginning an architectural project with the research led detailed development of a threshold using physical models encourages early engagement with material-assembly, disrupting the familiar design process. This exploration of an architectural moment emphasises often overlooked temporal and experiential dimensions of space. This article reflects on eight years of employing the 'architectural moment' as a disruptive learning opportunity, illustrated by student work. Centring technology and materials as integral to studio practice, alongside structured opportunities for reflection, builds student confidence and supports more sophisticated design decision-making, placing ethics, human experience and architectural expression at the heart of the creative process