Developing a theory to guide nurse practitioners to accomplish [a] training programme: A grounded theory study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Grounded Theory
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Nurse practitioners play a crucial role in clinical care due to physician shortages.
• Existing nurse practitioner training programs lack a guiding theoretical framework, leading to varied quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a substantive theory to guide nurse practitioners in completing their training programs.
• To establish a framework for effective nurse practitioner education and skill development.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative grounded theory approach utilized in a Taiwanese regional teaching hospital.
• Semi-structured interviews conducted with 17 nurse practitioners between January 2018 and March 2019.
• Data analysis involved open, axial, and selective coding, supported by NVivo 11 software.

Main Results:

• A substantive theory centered on 'professional ability to improve nursing quality and excel' was formulated.
• Key components include enhancing thinking ability (critical thinking, differential diagnosis), clinical care ability (assessment, communication), and promoting active learning (multi-method learning, practice, self-improvement).

Conclusions:

• The developed theory provides essential guidance for nurse practitioner trainees, aiming to improve training success rates and reduce workforce resource wastage.
• Implementation of this theory can enhance the quality of care provided by nurse practitioners.
• Hospitals are encouraged to adopt this theory and foster supportive training environments to optimize nurse practitioner development and patient care quality.