Community nurse lecturers’ experiences of pre-registration nurse education: a phenomenological study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of community nurse lecturers in pre-registration nurse education and to gain insight into the nature of community nursing and its profile within pre-registration nursing. A qualitative phenomenological approach explored pre-registration, adult field nurse lecturers’ experiences of being community nurses and subsequently their experiences of being community nurse lecturers. Three participants audio recorded answers prompted by three questions that allowed for storytelling and prompted memory recall. The results were analysed, and the themes identified were: community nursing is vastly different to hospital nursing, with a notable heightened sense of accountability, lone working and a recognition of experience needed to be a community nurse. When reflecting on their role as lecturers, research participants recalled responses that informed the second theme: the pre-registration adult nursing curriculum was acute care focused and this was also the expectation of students. Results identified tensions between community nursing and critical care nursing, and a loss of identity to which each of them embraced in different ways.