Mr Peter Cleasby1, Dr Fung Koo, Professor Nathan Wilson, Dr John Rosenberg
1Western Sydney University, Australia
Biography:
Peter Cleasby is a registered nurse who has worked in palliative care related roles since 1981. He has also served in various positions with Palliative Care NSW and Palliative Care Australia and was co-chair of the NSW End of Life and Palliative Care Network. He was an inaugural member of Palliative Care Nurses Australia. His most recent paid position was as Lecturer with the University of Newcastle teaching the subject palliative care practice in the Masters program. Peter is presently a doctoral candidate at Western Sydney University.
Abstract:
Background:
While considerable activity has been demonstrated in describing the landscape of palliative care nursing knowledge there are some areas where little attention has been given. The continuing professional development (CPD) needs of experienced nurses are often associated with the minimum requirements of regulatory agencies. Yet when nursing practice is compartmentalised into a competency-based world view, do such CPD needs change as specialist experience is accumulated?
Aims:
This study sought to contribute to an understanding of role related learning needs and CPD decisions of experienced palliative care RNs in Australia. The guiding questions were:
–How do the self-identified learning needs of experienced Australian palliative care nurses relate to their functional and professional role; and
–What are the learning priorities of experienced Australian palliative care nurses and what do they describe as barriers and facilitators in meeting their learning needs?
Methods:
This study is part of a larger mixed methods inquiry using an exploratory approach. Individual semi-structured Interviews with thirteen palliative care nurses were conducted via video conferencing.
Participants were registered nurses working in a palliative care role for a palliative care service or in a palliative care specific care location with a minimum of 2 years full time equivalent experience. Analysis was undertaken using Nvivo 14.0. Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) approach guided the data exploration.
Results:
The interview data revealed the changing focus of learning need perception as experience in the specialty was gained. The relationship between CPD and nursing role fulfilment was ambivalent, with individualised learning needs assessment not visibly linked to learning engagement. The barriers to meeting CPD needs were similar to those identified in the non-specialist nursing literature.
Conclusion:
Mandatory CPD expectations for experienced speciality nurses require a flexible and creative interpretation that values and respects the wide role dimensions experienced in the field.