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Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

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<strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nursing</strong> & <strong>Midwifery</strong>, <strong>Trinity</strong> College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research <strong>Conference</strong><br />

Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007<br />

<strong>Conference</strong> <strong>Proceedings</strong><br />

Back to contents page<br />

Do Pre-registration Undergraduate Student Nurses Learn<br />

Analytic and Problem Solving Skills in Clinical Practice?<br />

Nora Kilcullen<br />

Lecturer,<br />

RGN, RM, RNT, BSc (Hons) <strong>Nursing</strong>, MN<br />

<strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Nursing</strong>,<br />

Dublin City University,<br />

Dublin 9<br />

01-7008531<br />

Nora. Kilcullen@dcu.ie<br />

The Graduate Programme in <strong>Nursing</strong> was introduced in the Republic<br />

<strong>of</strong> Ireland in 2002. In order to achieve the aim <strong>of</strong> this programme it<br />

is necessary to produce nurse practitioners with well developed<br />

critical and analytic skills, who can critically evaluate nursing<br />

practice. The quality <strong>of</strong> the clinical placements which student nurses<br />

receive when undertaking the BSc Programme is central to the<br />

preparation <strong>of</strong> these analytic practitioners.<br />

Aim: To explore how student nurses learn higher level skills through<br />

participation and engagement in nursing practice.<br />

Research design:<br />

A Qualitative research design was used in this study. It was<br />

considered suitable due to the exploratory nature <strong>of</strong> the study.<br />

An Ethnographic Informed Approach was used in this study. This<br />

approach is well suited to answer the research questions posed in<br />

the study since it places major emphasis on cultural and social<br />

practices which are known to impact on students’ learning.<br />

Sampling:<br />

Purposive sampling was used since it was most appropriate in order<br />

to elicit answers to the research questions. A sample <strong>of</strong> 12 student<br />

nurses participated in the study during their rostered placement.<br />

Data Collection:<br />

Data were collected by participant observation, semi-structured<br />

interview and from patients’ documentation over a period <strong>of</strong> 7<br />

months.<br />

Data Analysis:<br />

Data were analysed by narrative analysis.<br />

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