What is curbside consultation for the nurse practitioner?

Designing Categories for a Mixed-Method Research on Competence Development and Professional Identity through Collegial Advice in Nursing Education in Germany

BACKGROUND

The aim of nursing education in Germany is the development of different competences, including professional identity. To promote this, the use of collegial consultation in the form of collegial advice is recommended. How collegial advice affects the development of competences and professional identity, and which didactic and organizational framework conditions are favorable for this have not yet been conclusively clarified.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study is to determine how collegial consultation affects the development of competence and professional identity of student nurses. Enabling and hindering factors for the success of collegial advice will be identified. Design/ Participants: A mixed-methods study with 25 student nurses who completed training in collegial advice and then regularly engaged in collegial advice for one year.

METHODS

A content analysis from four focus group interviews using a category system developed for this purpose.

RESULTS

This article reports the development of the category system necessary for the content analysis with examples. The resulting categories are presented.

CONCLUSIONS

The category system has high objectivity, reliability, and validity. It contains links to competence and identity research in the care sector. A suitable instrument has been developed for further evaluation of the focus group interviews.

Curbside Consultation for the Nurse Practitioner: Qualitative Inquiry for Education, Policy, and Practice

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Curbside consultation (CC), defined as pursuing information or recommendation regarding patient care, without request for formal consultation is a favored information source for nurse practitioners (NPs) when making clinical decisions in practice settings. Research and education concerning CC among NPs is lacking. The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of NP perceptions of interpersonal aspects of the CC process to inform NP clinical practice and education.

METHODS

Qualitative descriptive design and inductive content analysis was used. Twenty primary care and specialty care NP were recruited using purposive sampling for conduct of individual interviews.

RESULTS

Content analysis identified themes describing interpersonal components of the CC process. NP practiced in collaboration with physicians in variable roles within primary care and specialty care settings. These collaborations varied dependent upon supervisory relationships with physicians. Additional themes concerned NP professional experience and characteristics of experts desired for CC. These characteristics included NP perceptions of colleague experience and expertise, trust, and interpersonal relationship dynamics.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

CC processes for NPs are multidimensional, including interpersonal themes as components of this communication exchange. Given CC is a highly utilized resource for NPs, further inquiry is critical for understanding of its implications for NP practice, policy, and education internationally.