Children's nursing : meeting the needs of the children?

• Main Author: Price, Patricia Susan
• Published: University of Birmingham 2004
• Subjects: 618.9200231; RT Nursing
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.489779

Rodgers’ evolutionary model of concept analysis was used to develop definitions of children’s nursing and their special needs, from which the inherent qualities of children’s nurses were extrapolated and tested in a variety of ways. Firstly selectors of children’s nursing students evaluated the suitability of six hypothetical candidates, in a self administered postal questionnaire. There was some agreement on the identified pre-requisite qualities. Secondly a content analysis of 25 job descriptions for newly qualified children’s nurses, using NUD*IST was undertaken, to determine English NHS Trusts’ expectations. Across the sample there was agreement on the role of the children’s nurse, confirming the definition derived from the concept analysis. There was less agreement between trusts in the manner in which these expectations were expressed. New regulations for nurse education were introduced during the time of this study and the government published new standards for children’s health services. Therefore a final concept analysis of children’s nursing at the start of the 21st century was undertaken. A number of implications for children’s nursing selection and further development of the identified qualities of potential students were identified. The definition of children’s nursing should continue to be debated as the role develops and becomes increasingly expressed in terms of competencies.