Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing Vol. 35 No. 4 July/August 2004
By Brenda Paton, BN, PhD; Sue Martin, BN, RGON; Patricia McClunie-Trust, MA, BsocSC; Norma Weir, BA, RCpN
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ABSTRACT
Collaborative research between nurses employed in the academic and practice sectors is a cost-effective and innovative way to investigate aspects of clinical practice, articulate clinical and teaching expertise, and extend professional practice knowledge. In collaborative ventures, researchers from different institutional cultures often work together to investigate a particular area of interest. This poses challenges in relation to the perceptions, understandings, and interpretations of the research question and of the mode of inquiry, particularly when investigating through the qualitative paradigm.
The purpose of this article is twofold. The first is to clarify some of the challenges experienced while conducting collaborative research and describe the steps taken to ensure consistency between the purpose of the research and the phenomenological research design used to explore the learning that nursing students acquire in their final clinical practicum. Second, it was thought that by illuminating this learning, registered nurses working as preceptors and those supporting new graduates could gain insight into the complexities of learning the skills of safe and competent practice from the student’s perspective. This insight is essential in creating a strategy between education and practice to minimize the duplication of learning opportunities and lessen the cost of supporting newly registered nurses, which may be at the expense of investment in the professional development of experienced registered nurses.
AUTHORS
Dr. Paton is Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ms. Martin is Clinical Nurse Leader, Cardiac Care, Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, New Zealand. Ms. McClunie-Trust Principal Lecturer, Waikato Institute of Technology, Hamilton, New Zealand. Ms. Weir is Senior Nurse, Acute Care Nursing Agency, London, England.
The authors thank the Waikato Institute of Technology and the Waikato Hospital, Hamilton, New Zealand, which provided funding to conduct the original research on the exploration of the phenomenon of learning as experienced by nursing students enrolled in their final clinical practicum. The authors also thank Senior Lecturer Rose McEldowney, PhD, MEd, BA, RGON, Graduate School of Nursing and Midwifery, Victoria University of Wellington, and Clyde Wade, MB, CHB, FRACP, MBA, Cardiac Medical Consultant, Waikato Hospital, New Zealand, for initiating and supporting our process of thinking through this research.
Address correspondence to Brenda Paton, BN, PhD, Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Professional Faculties Building 2230, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
Original text National Institutes of Health (NIH)