Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T01:01:58.711Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Long-Term Care Planning Study: Strengths and Learning Needs of Nursing Staff*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Kathleen E. Cruttenden
Kathleen E. Cruttenden*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to:/Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être addressées à : Dr. Kathleen Cruttenden, Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A2. ([email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This planning study was designed and conducted in a predominantly rural Canadian province to examine the strengths and learning needs of four categories of nursing staff practising in New Brunswick nursing homes. Participants included directors of care, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and resident attendants. The nursing homes ranged in size from 38 to 196 beds and were located throughout the province. In health and planning studies, ethnography conveys a coherent statement of peoples' local knowledge as culture-sharing groups (Muecke, 1994). The study derived information from the Nursing Home Act, reports, the literature, key informants, and direct observations of and interviews with participants. Leadership strengths defined the roles for categories of staff and supported the capacity of each category to identify their learning needs. In conclusion, nurses practising in nursing homes can and must take an active role in decision making for their learning.

Résumé

La présente étude de planification a été conçue et effectuée dans une province canadienne essentiellement rurale, le Nouveau-Brunswick, afin d'y évaluer les forces et les besoins d'apprentissage de quatre catégories de personnel infirmier en poste dans des maisons de soins infirmiers. Des contrôleurs de soins, des infirmières, des infirmières auxiliaires et des aides gériatriques ont participé à cette étude. Les maisons de soins infirmiers, réparties dans l'ensemble de la province, comprenaient de 38 à 196 lits. Dans les études portant sur la santé et la planification, l'ethnographie comporte un énoncé cohérent des connaissances locales des gens en tant que groupes partageant leur culture (Muecke, 1994). L'étude a tiré ses renseignements de la Loi sur les maisons de soins infirmiers, de rapports, de la documentation, et de répondants clés, ainsi que des entrevues avec les participants et des observations qu'ils ont fournies. Les forces de leadership ont défini les rôles des catégories de personnel et soutenu la capacité de chacune afin de déterminer leurs besoins d'apprentissage. En conclusion, les infirmières exerçant leur profession dans les maisons de soins infirmiers peuvent et doivent jouer un rôle actif dans le processus décisionnel en rapport avec leur apprentissage.

Keywords

agingnursing homesnursing staffstrengthslearning needscommunity developmentvieillissementmaisons de soins infirmierspersonnel infirmierforcesbesoins d'apprentissagedéveloppement communautaire
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 25 , Issue 4 , Winter/Hiver 2006 , pp. 347 - 361
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

The author wishes to thank the participants for their time and commitment to specialized learning; similarly, a special thank you to all who participated as key actors and at presentations and offered their insights and encouragement. My colleagues Marilyn Merritt-Gray and Judith MacIntosh have been kind and generous in their feedback as I wrote this manuscript. Thank you to all.

References

American Geriatrics Society & American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry (2003). Consensus statement on improving the quality of mental health care in U.S. nursing homes: Management of depression and behavioral symptoms associated with dementia. Journal American Geriatrics Society, 51, 1287–1298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, R., Hsieh, P-C., & Su, H.F. (1998). Resource allocation and resident outcomes in nursing homes: Comparison between the best and worst. Research in Nursing and Health, 21, 297–313.3.0.CO;2-A>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, R., & McDaniel, R. (1998). Intensity of registered nurse participation in nursing home decision making. Gerontologist, 38, 90–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, R., Issel, L., & McDaniel, R. (2003). Nursing homes as complex adaptive systems: Relationship between management practices and resident outcomes. Nursing Research, 52(1), 12–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bell, V., & Troxel, D. (2003). The best friends approach to Alzheimer's care. Baltimore, MD: Health Professions Press.Google Scholar
Bharucha, A., Pandav, R., Shen, C., Dodge, H., & Ganguli, M. (2004). Predictors of nursing facility admission: A 12-year epidemiological study in the United States. [Electronic version]. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 52, 434–439.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brannon, D., Zinn, J., Mor, V., & Davis, J. (2002). An exploration of job, organizational, and environmental factors associated with high and low nursing assistant turnover. Gerontologist, 4(2), 159–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buerhaus, P., Clifford, J., Erickson, J., Fay, M., Miller, J., Sporing, E., et al. (1997). Executive nursing leadership: Summary of the Harvard Nursing Research Institute's follow-up conference. Journal of Nursing Administration, 27(4), 12–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bula, C., Ghilardi, G., Wietlisbach, V., Petignat, C., & Francioli, P. (2004). Infections and functional impairment in nursing home residents: A reciprocal relationship. Journal American Geriatrics Society, 52, 700–706.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butler, R., Fonseka, S., Barclay, L., Sembhi, S., & Wells, S. (1998). The mental health of nursing home residents: A New Zealand study. Aging and Mental Health, 2, 49–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Canadian Gerontological Nursing Association (2005, May). CGNA Strategic Action Plan. Presented to the annual general meeting, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Retrieved 18 Oct. 2006 from http://www.cgna.net/files.Google Scholar
Canadian Study of Health and Aging (1994). Canadian study of health and aging: Study methods and prevalence of dementia. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 150, 899–913.Google Scholar
Carper, B. (1978). Fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 1, 13–24.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chang, E., Daly, J., Bell, P., Brown, T., Allan, J., & Hancock, K. (2002). A continuing educational initiative to develop nurses' mental health knowledge and skills in rural and remote areas. Nurse Education Today, 22, 542–551.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cody, W. (2002). Critical thinking and nursing science: Judgment, or vision?. Nursing Science Quarterly, 15, 184–189.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cowan, D., Fitzpatrick, J., Roberts, J., & While, A. (2004). Measuring the knowledge and attitudes of health care staff toward older people: Sensitivity of measurement instruments. Educational Gerontology, 30, 237–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crossan, B., Field, J., Gallacher, J., & Merrill, B. (2003). Understanding participation in learning for non-traditional adult learners: Learning careers and the construction of learning identities. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 24(1), 55–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daley, B., & Wilson, S. (2001). Needs assessment in long-term care facilities: Linking research and continuing education. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 19, 111–121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davies, S., Powell, A., & Aveyard, B. (2002). Developing continuing care: Toward a teaching nursing home. [Electronic version]. British Journal of Nursing, 11(20), 1320–1328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deutschman, M. (2001). Redefining quality and excellence in the nursing home culture. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 27, 28–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dorr-Bremme, D.W. (1985). Ethnographic evaluation: A theory and method. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 7, 65–83.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ebersole, P., & Hess, P. (1998). Toward healthy aging: Human needs and nursing response (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.Google Scholar
Goodridge, D., & Johnson, P. (1997). Impact of a nursing assistant training program on job performance, attitudes, and relationships. Educational Gerontology, 23(1) Retrieved 23 Sept. 2003 from the Academic Elite database. Retrieved 18 Oct. 2006 from http://www.library.pitt.edu/articles/database_info/del-academ_search.html.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gurka, A. (1995). Transformational leadership: Qualities and strategies for the CNS. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 9, 169–174.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hanks-Bell, M., Halvey, K., & Paice, J. (2004). Pain assessment and management in aging. Retrieved 2 Sept. 2004 from http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic21/tpc21-6htm.Google Scholar
Hennessy, D., & Hicks, C. (2003). The ideal attributes of chief nurses in Europe: A Delphi study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 43, 441–448.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Joy, J., Carter, D., & Smith, L. (2000). The evolving educational needs of nurses caring for the older adult: A literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 13, 1039–1045.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaeser, L., Musser, L., & Andreoli, K. (1989). Developing an effective teaching nursing home: The planning process. Nurse Educator, 14(3), 37–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kane, R. (2001). Long-term care and good quality of life: Bringing them closer together. Gerontologist, 41, 293–304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kinnaird, L. (2004). Creativity at the bedside. Creative Nursing, 4, 3–4.Google Scholar
Labonté, R. (2005). Community, community development, and the forming of authentic partnerships. In Minkler, M. (Ed.), Community organizing and community building for health (pp. 82–115). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Leddy, S., & Pepper, J. (1998). Conceptual bases of professional nursing (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.Google Scholar
Luggen, A.S., & Meiner, S.E. (2001). NGNA core curriculum for gerontological nursing. St. Louis, MO: Mosby.Google Scholar
Manley, K. (1997). A conceptual framework for advanced practice: An action research project operationalizing an advanced practitioner/consultant nurse role. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 6, 179–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meuser, T., Boise, L., & Morris, J. (2004). Clinical beliefs and practices in dementia care: Implications for health educators. Educational Gerontology, 30, 491–516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, C.A. (2004). Nursing for wellness in older adults: Theory and practice (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.Google Scholar
Minkler, M., & Wallerstein, N. (2005). Improving health though community organizing and community building: A health education perspective. In Minkler, M. (Ed.), Community organizing and community building for health (2nd ed., pp. 26–50). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Morgan, D.G., Semchuk, K.M., Stewart, N.J., & D'Arcy, C. (2002). Job strain among staff of rural nursing homes. Journal of Nursing Administration, 32, 152–161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muecke, M. (1994). On the evaluation of ethnographies. In Morse, J.M. (Eds.), Critical issues in qualitative research methods (pp. 187–209). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Natural Resources Canada (2005). Land and freshwater area, by province and territory. Retrieved 18 Oct. 2006 from http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/surfareas.html.Google Scholar
Richardson, A., & Cunliffe, L. (2003). New horizons: The motives, diversity and future of ‘nurse led’ care. Journal of Nursing Management, 11, 80–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, K., Eck, C., Keck, B., & Wells, N. (2003). The Vanderbilt professional practice program. Journal of Nursing Association, 33, 441–450.Google Scholar
Runciman, P., Dewar, B., & Goulbourne, A. (2002). Newly qualified project 2000 staff nurses in Scottish nursing homes: Issues for education. Nurse Education Today, 593–601.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Statistics Canada (2005b). Tables by province or territory, New Brunswick and Ontario. CANSIM II, Table 051–0001. Last modified: 2005–02–01 http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo31c.htm.Google Scholar
Teno, J., Kabumoto, G., Wetle, T., Roy, J., & Mor, V. (2004). Daily pain that was excruciating at some time in the previous week: Prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes in nursing home residents. Journal American Geriatrics Society, 52, 762–767.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thayer-Bacon, B. (2000). Transforming critical thinking: Thinking constructively. New York: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Weiss, S., Malone, R., Merighi, J., & Benner, P. (2002). Economism, efficiency, and the moral ecology of good nursing practice. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 34, 95–119.Google ScholarPubMed