Developing specialist nursing practice: participants' experiences of a nursing scholarship programme

Abstract

Background: In recognising the difficulties that many nurses face in developing their knowledge and skills to specialist level, alongside the continued demand for specialist nursing roles, it is essential to find ways to build the next generation of specialist nurses. A specially designed nursing scholarship programme was devised to address this issue. Feedback from the scholars' perspective is presented to demonstrate the benefits and enablers of, as well as barriers to, undertaking such a programme. Methods: Six scholars were each interviewed at the beginning and end of their scholarship periods, and 12 semi-structured interviews were completed and summarised. Data were examined using thematic analysis. Findings: Examination of the interview data revealed which key aspects of the scholarship programme the scholars believed had helped develop their specialist nursing practice. Factors that enabled the development of clinical, academic and specialist skills, as well as perceived improvements in personal attributes, were identified. The main barriers highlighted were lack of knowledge, experience and confidence. The benefits of this scholarship programme were evident, with all six feeling ready to be a specialist nurse and to secure a specialist role at the end of the programme. Conclusions: Through a carefully planned and supported educational and clinical programme, it is possible to develop specialist nurses for the future. For this development to occur, it is essential to have supportive colleagues and a structured programme designed to develop the necessary skills and attributes required in a specialist nursing role.