Building confidence: An exploration of nurses undertaking a postgraduate biological science course

作者：Van Wissen Kim^*; McBride Henry Karen

来源：Contemporary Nurse, 2010, 35(1): 26-34.

DOI：10.5172/conu.2010.35.1.026

• nursing
• theory-guided practice
• biological sciences
• postgraduate
• education

This study aimed to explore the impact of studying biological science at a postgraduate level and how this impacted on nursing practice. The term biological sciences in this research encompasses elements of physiology, genetics, biochemistry and pathophysiology. Method: A qualitative research study was designed, that involved the dissemination of a pre- and post-course semi-structured questionnaire for biological science course, as part of a Master of Nursing programme at a New Zealand University, thus exploring the impact of undertaking a postgraduate biological sciences course. The responses were analysed into themes, based on interpretive concepts. Results: The primary themes revealed improvement in confidence as: confidence in communication, confidence in linking nursing theoretical knowledge to practice and confidence in clinical nursing knowledge. Conclusion: This study highlights the need to privilege clinically-derived nursing knowledge, and that confidence in this nursing knowledge and clinical practice can be instilled through employing the model of theory-guided practice.

• 出版日期2010-5