Community nursing managers' perceptions and experiences of protected learning time: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare education
• Primary care workforce development
• Nursing management

Background:

• Protected learning time (PLT) is crucial for primary healthcare team development.
• Community nurses exhibit low attendance rates at practice-based PLT (PB-PLT) in Scotland.
• Nursing managers significantly influence PLT initiatives and steering committees.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate community nursing managers' perspectives on PLT.
• To explore their experiences with PLT.
• To understand their views on low community nurse attendance at PB-PLT.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study utilizing focus groups and in-depth interviews.
• Involved six nursing managers and one director of nursing across three community health partnerships.
• Grounded theory approach applied to transcribed audio-recorded data.

Main Results:

• Managers recognized PLT's potential but noted nurses found PB-PLT content irrelevant.
• Lack of community nurse involvement in planning PB-PLT and unaddressed learning needs were identified barriers.
• Organizational differences and concerns regarding practice nurse learning content at PB-PLT were highlighted.

Conclusions:

• Nursing managers' perceptions of PLT differ from those of community nurses.
• Enhanced mutual understanding and collaborative efforts are needed within primary healthcare teams.
• Improving the quality and relevance of learning at PB-PLT is essential.