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Reflections of Master of Nursing Specialist Students in an Advanced Practice Nursing Course: A Qualitative Research
Jian-Bin Lin1, Jin-Cheng Zhang1, Meng-Meng Fan1
1School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, Fujian, China.
Aim:
To explore the learning experiences of Chinese Master of Nursing Specialist (MNS) students as expressed in reflection reports produced in response to an Advanced Practice Nursing course; to clarify their understanding of the roles played by, the core competencies of, and the career development prospects of Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs).
Background:
Health systems both in China and worldwide are increasingly facing pressure from ageing populations and the growing burden of chronic diseases. Given the shortage of skilled nurses, APNs are critical for optimizing care. High-quality education underpins role standardization, professional identity and innovation in practice.
Design:
A qualitative descriptive design was adopted.
Methods:
We analysed the course reflection reports produced by 43 first-year MNS students to explore their learning experiences and perceptions of professional identity and career development through semantic network and qualitative content analyses.
Results:
The core words revealed by the semantic network analysis included 'nursing', 'practice', 'specialty' and 'nurses'. Four themes and nine subthemes were extracted from the reflection reports.
Conclusion:
MNS students grasp partial APN core competencies and prefer clinical specialization but lack sufficient understanding of coaching-consultation, ethical decision-making and evidence-based practice. Curriculum optimization using Gibbs's reflective cycle and improved cross-curriculum assessment can remedy such deficits. It is essential to strengthen the synergy between clinical research and practice, foster international collaboration and expand the APN practice scope. Equally important is the development of a localized APN training pathway through a multifaceted care network adapted to the Chinese context.
Implications For Nursing:
Educators could integrate Gibbs's reflective cycle into the curriculum of APN and establish long-term university-hospital partnerships to develop the professional capabilities of APNs, particularly their capacity to address the complex health needs of ageing populations.
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