The importance of advanced level for specialist nurse program in intensive care nursing
Lindblad Fridh, M. PhD , RNT, CCRN; School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Sweden
Contact: Marianne.Lindblad-Fridh@hhj.hj.se
Aim: The aim was to study the students/intensive care nurses self rated competence in academic skills, their conceptions of the importance of these skills in their professional work and changing during six year.
Method: The sample consist of one annual cohort of students (n=221) from all higher education institutions in Sweden (n=18) where specialist nurse programs in intensive care nursing were offered in 2000. Data were collected via a questionnaire at the end of the education (2000) and another one 2006. After six year 68 percent (n=150) are still working in ICU and 67 percent of these (n=100) had answered both questionnaires. Mc Nemar was used to analyse changes. The results here are just a small part of a larger study.
Results: 49 percent of the student rated their competence in analysing and making interpretation of research high/very high at the end of the education but after six year at work only 22 percent rated high/very high competence (p= ,000). 38 percent of the student rated their competence in identifying nursing problem and initiating quality improvement work high/very high at the end of the education and after six year at work 42 percent rated high/very high competence (n.s.). 18 percent of the student rated their competence in leading and organising quality improvement work high/very high at the end of the education and after six year at work 24 percent rated high/very high competence (n.s.). The importance for the tree items varying between 64 to 88 percent for important /very important for the professional role.
Conclusion: It will be important to better prepare the nurses in the specialist nurse program for quality improvement work and evidence-based nursing care and the employers have to improve the possibility for nurses to work with evidence-based practice.
Reference
Lindblad Fridh, M. (2003). From general nurse to specialist nurse in intensive care. A study of experiences of specialist education and initial professional practice in intensive care (PhD thesis). Göteborg: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis.