This thesis investigates the effects of clinical facilitator nurses on medical wards in hospitals. These staff are the current culmination of recent attempts to situate nurse education in the field of clinical practice rather than merely the lecture room. Therefore, the work sets out to gain an understanding of the clinical and educational needs perceived by policy makers; the methods chosen by local managers to fulfil these needs; and the practical manifestation of these initiatives at the bedside. The thesis commences with a literature review consisting of historical context studies and a focused analysis of recent research literature. The context studies are of adult and nurse education. The review of clinical facilitator literature uses search criteria to identify and critically analyse previous research related to similar roles in the United Kingdom. The researcher uses a modified grounded theory approach as a methodological framework for collection and use of data. The data is obtained primarily by field observations; semi-structured interviews with practising clinical facilitators; and from questionnaires completed by nursing students. In addition to this generated data, information harvested from official and academic sources is used to produce theory. The discussion chapter explores the contestation that the themes generated indicate that the introduction of educationally focussed staff, into the area dominated by clinical need, is both problematic and essential. Problematic, as conflicts of role and leadership create misunderstanding and hardship for educators and clinicians. Essential, because in acute wards, where nursing skill is literally a matter of life or death for patients, a large proportion of nursing staff are in need of focussed educational support. The study proposes a model of managerial support for the introduction of educationally focused nurses in the clinical area which enables these clinical facilitators to operate in a valued and protected position.

In a hospital environment the focus is on quality patient care. One of the important factors to improve the quality of patient care is the implementation of a continuous professional development programme. In a continuous professional development programme of a hospital three stakeholders namely management, clinical facilitators and the nurse practitioners are identified as partners. When the stakeholders reach a point where it is believed that the continuous professional development programme does not serve its purpose to improve the quality of patient care it is time to evaluate and refine the programme. This study evaluate the critical care and high care units in a private hospital in Gauteng’s continuous professional development programme and the conclusions and recommendations are therefore limited to this specific clinical setting. The refinements recommended cannot be utilised in other clinical setting but the evaluation and research methodology can be utilised to evaluate similar continuous professional development programmes. Evaluation of a continuous professional development has the potential to negatively influence the nurse practitioners attitude towards continuous professional development. The objective of the research approach chosen namely a 4-D Appreciative Inquiry approach was to gain the collaboration of all the stakeholders in an effort to ensure that the evaluation of the continuous professional development programme of the critical care and high care units in the private hospital in Gauteng does not negatively affect the delivery of quality patient care. The Appreciative Inquiry research approach with its positive approach lends it to be the most appropriate research methodology of the study. The study utilised a Focus Group Inquiry as data a collection mechanism. From the study In-service training emerged as the element that form an important element of an effective continuous professional development programme but that it is of the at most importance that an effective Workplace learning environment exists. The supportive role of Management for a continuous professional development programme also emerged as one of the main themes required for the implementation of a continuous professional development programme. These findings were utilised in the refinement for the continuous professional development programme for the critical care and high care units in the private hospital in Gauteng. The research recommends that a steering committee be appointed to implement a pilot continuous professional development programme that incorporate the refinement elements identified. Due to the continuous improvement nature of the Appreciative Inquiry methodology it is also recommended that the pilot continuous professional development programme been re-evaluation to ensure long-term success and improvement. / Dissertation (MCur)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Nursing Science / unrestricted