TY - JOUR
T1 - Evaluating a specialist education programme for nurses and allied health professionals working in older people care
T2 - A qualitative analysis of motivations and impact
AU - Fitzpatrick, Joanne M.
AU - Hayes, Nicky
AU - Naughton, Corina
AU - Ezhova, Ivanka
N1 - Funding Information:
The Programme and study were supported by Health Education England . The funder had no role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, the writing up of the research, and the decision to submit the article for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Authors
Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - Background: Developing clinical leaders is essential for high-quality, safe care for older people. Fundamental to achieving this is specialist continuing professional development for nurses and allied health professionals. Objectives: To investigate the motivations of nurses and allied health professionals to undertake a national specialist gerontological programme, the Older Persons Fellowship, and its impacts on their development and on older people care. Design: A qualitative descriptive design. Methods: Participants were nurses and allied health professionals undertaking a national specialist gerontological programme in England. A purposive sample of 63 participants was recruited. Twelve focus groups and four individual interviews were conducted between February 2015 and February 2019. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were identified: credible gerontological experts; challenging ageism and suboptimal services; and legitimising gerontological practice as a speciality. Conclusions: Understanding the motivations to undertake a specialist gerontological programme and the impacts on practitioners and older people care and services will help inform the continuing professional development agenda for nurses and allied health professionals working in this field of practice. Policy makers, commissioners, managers, and educators can use the findings to inform continuing professional development priorities and provision for the gerontological workforce.
AB - Background: Developing clinical leaders is essential for high-quality, safe care for older people. Fundamental to achieving this is specialist continuing professional development for nurses and allied health professionals. Objectives: To investigate the motivations of nurses and allied health professionals to undertake a national specialist gerontological programme, the Older Persons Fellowship, and its impacts on their development and on older people care. Design: A qualitative descriptive design. Methods: Participants were nurses and allied health professionals undertaking a national specialist gerontological programme in England. A purposive sample of 63 participants was recruited. Twelve focus groups and four individual interviews were conducted between February 2015 and February 2019. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Three themes were identified: credible gerontological experts; challenging ageism and suboptimal services; and legitimising gerontological practice as a speciality. Conclusions: Understanding the motivations to undertake a specialist gerontological programme and the impacts on practitioners and older people care and services will help inform the continuing professional development agenda for nurses and allied health professionals working in this field of practice. Policy makers, commissioners, managers, and educators can use the findings to inform continuing professional development priorities and provision for the gerontological workforce.
KW - Allied health professionals
KW - Gerontology
KW - Innovation
KW - Leadership
KW - Nurses
KW - Older people
KW - Specialist programme
KW - Workforce
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098059235&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104708
DO - 10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104708
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85098059235
SN - 0260-6917
VL - 97
JO - Nurse Education Today
JF - Nurse Education Today
M1 - 104708
ER -