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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. (kcrutten@unb.ca)
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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

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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.

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