Working in syndicate groups towards the development of clinical care protocols: a study into the professional...

Group work is an important element in nurse education and practice, and is an issue of consistent relevance given the increasing emphasis on collaborative and multidisciplinary working, and the fact that most nurses' work involves them in a variety of groups. This study is ongoing research, and considers the experiences of five groups, each comprising four final year nursing undergraduate students working in syndicate groups. The students are working towards the creation and development of clinical care protocols. The study method is grounded theory. Data have been collected over 3 academic years, with the group facilitator as researcher. The data management involves tape recording meetings and transcribing these, with continual reduction and analysis of the data. Findings from early analysis suggest that important phenomena, for example 'resistance', 'tangible action goals', and the concept of 'closure', play a key part in the way in which the groups under study have functioned.