Background: Continuing professional development (CPD) in nursing is defined as ‘a life-long process of active participation in learning activities that assist in developing and maintaining continuing competences, enhancing professional practice and supporting achievement of career goals’. Research has shown that inability to access resources and activities for CPD influences quality of care and adversely affects nurses’ satisfaction, recruitment and retention. Although more and more research regarding CPD is done, a comprehensive overview about the needs of nurses for successful CPD is missing. Conclusions: All nurses strive for CPD. However, organizations need to recognize nurses' personal goals and unique strategies as this leads to different needs in CPD. In addition, resources must be made available and accessible before CPD can be successfully pursued by all nurses.
MULTIFILE
This speech discusses how the professorship intends to support practitioners in the nursing domain and contribute to shaping nursing leadership and each person's professional individuality. The title of the speech, “Notes on Nursing 2.0,” is particularly intended to emphasize the need for these changes in the nursing domain. Not by assuming that nothing has changed in care and nursing since Nightingale's time. There has. Being educated in the professional domain is not only a given but a requirement. The knowledge domain of care and nursing has developed far and wide in nursing diagnostics and standards. Nursing science research, which Nightingale once started as the first female statistician in the British Kingdom, has firmly established itself in education and practice. Wanting to be of significance to others out of compassion is still the professional motivation, but there is no longer a subservient servitude (Cingel van der, 2012). At the same time, wholehearted leadership is not yet taken for granted in daily practice and optimal professional practice falters due to an equality principle of differently educated caregivers and nurses that has been held for too long. That is the need for change to which this 2.0 version “Notes on Nursing” and the lectorate want to contribute in the coming years. Chapter 1, through the metaphors in the story “The Cat Who Looked at the King,” describes the vision of emancipatory action research and the change principles that the lectorate will deploy. Chapter 2 contains the reason, mission and lines of research that are interrelated within the lectorate. Chapters 3 and 4 address the themes of identity and leadership, discussing their interrelationship with professional practice and developing a research culture. In addition, specific aspects that influence practice and work culture today are addressed, and how the lectorate contributes specifically to the development of nursing leadership and the formation of professional identity in the relevant domain is described. Chapter 5 contains a summary of the principles on which the research program is based, as well as information on current and future projects. Chapter 6 provides background information on the lector and the members of the knowledge circle.
Perceptions of community care and placement preferences in first-year nursing students: A multicentre, cross-sectional studyMargriet VAN IERSEL MSc1, Corine H.M. LATOUR PhD1, Rien DE VOS PhD2, Paul A. KIRSCHNER PhD3,5, Wilma J.M. SCHOLTE OP REIMER PhD1,4.1 ACHIEVE - Centre of Applied Research, Faculty of Health, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands2 Centre of Evidence Based Education, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands3 Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, The Netherlands4 Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 5 University of Oulu, Oulu, FinlandBackground: Despite increasing shortages of well-educated community nurses, far too few nursing students choose community care for their future profession; a strong societal problem that urgently needs resolution. This study provides a solid understanding of causes for the fields’ low popularity by exploring first-year baccalaureate nursing students' perceptions of community care, and their placement preferences along with their underlying assumptions. Insights from this study can be used by educators to positively influence students’ perceptions with targeted curriculum redesign strategies.Summary of work: A cross-sectional multicentre survey study was performed. First-year nursing students from six universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands (n = 1058) participated in the study from September-December 2014. The students completed the ‘Scale on Community Care Perceptions’ (SCOPE), consisting of demographic data, current placement preferences, and three subscales measuring the affective component of community care perception, perceptions of a placement, and a profession in community care. Descriptive statistics were used. Summary of results: For placement, 71.2% of the students prefer the general hospital, 23.4% another area, and only 5.4% choose community care. Students consider opportunities for advancement and enjoyable relationships with patients as most important for their placement. Community care is perceived as a ‘low-status-field’ with many elderly patients, where students expect to find little care variety and few opportunities for advancement. Discussion and conclusions: This study shows why few students show an interest for a career in community care. Students’ perceptions of the field are at odds with aspects they regard as important for their placement. They also underestimate the complexity of community care, where specific traits are required to ensure appropriate nursing care in patients’ homes. Take-home messages: The results of this study allow for three recommendations. First, students and educators should be aware of misconceptions about career opportunities in the field of community care. Second, educators should provide students with experiences that foster an optimistic and realistic career outlook on community care. Third, growing shortages in the community care sector urgently require representatives from the field and educators to collaborate to make community nursing an attractive career alternative.Keywords: Career choice; Students
