Commentary: Clinical academic careers for general practice nurses: a qualitative exploration of associated barriers and enablers

Background The delivery of research in healthcare in the UK is dependent on a subgroup of clinicians – clinical academics – who concurrently engage in clinical practice and academic activities. The need to increase access to such roles for general practice nurses has been identified, although the need for a robust career framework remains. Aims This study, with a qualitative interview and focus group design, aimed to explore the concept of clinical academic careers for general practice nurses by identifying barriers and enablers associated with pursuing and performing such roles. Methods General practice nurses ( n = 18) and general practitioners ( n = 5) engaged in either an audio -recorded interview or focus group. Verbatim transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. Results Four themes were identified: awareness and understanding; career pathway; personal and professional attributes; and organisational factors. Awareness and understanding were generally poor. Participants suggested that the career pathway was unclear, although it was generally assumed that such roles were ‘out of reach’ and require a minimum of Master’s level education. An interest in research and the confidence to perform such duties were reported as the required personal and professional attributes. Organisational factors included the need for employers to understand the value and benefit of general practice nurse clinical academic roles, along with ensuring that the inevitable competing demands of such a role were appropriately managed. Conclusions This study highlights the difficulties faced by general practice nurses wishing to pursue a clinical academic career. Academia is seemingly placed on a pedestal, emphasising the need to embed research training early in nursing education to alter general practice nurse perceptions that clinical academic roles are unobtainable. The development of a robust career pathway for general practice nurse clinical academic roles may have a positive impact on the retention of experienced general practice nurses and attract newly qualified nurses. This research provides evidence as to the need for one.

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Clinical Academic Careers for General Practice Nurses: A qualitative exploration of associated barriers and enablers

10.21203/rs.2.16416/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Sarahjane Jones ◽

Andrew Bradbury ◽

Sue Shortland ◽

Fraser Hewett ◽

Karen Storey

Keyword(s):

General Practice ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Academic Career ◽

Research Training ◽

Academic Careers ◽

Practice Nurses ◽

Barriers And Enablers ◽

Career Pathway ◽

Professional Attributes ◽

Organisational Factors

Abstract Background: The delivery of research in healthcare is dependent on a sub-group of clinicians – clinical academics – who concurrently engage in clinical practice and academic activities. The need to increase access to such roles for general practice nurses (GPNs) has been identified, though the need for a robust career framework remains. In order to generate evidence needed to contribute to the development of a career framework, this study aimed to explore the concept of clinical academic careers for GPNs by identifying barriers and enablers associated with pursuing and performing such roles. Methods: GPNs ( n =18) and general practitioners (GPs) ( n =5) engaged in either an audio recorded interview or focus group. Recordings were transcribed verbatim, with transcripts subject to a process of thematic analysis.Results: Four main themes were identified: awareness and understanding; career pathway; personal and professional attributes; and organisational factors. Awareness and understanding of clinical academic careers for GPNs was generally poor. Participants suggested that the career pathway for GPN clinical academics was unclear, though it was generally assumed that such roles were “out of reach” and would require a minimum of Master’s level education. Personal and professional attributes were reported as an interest in research and the confidence to perform such activities, though it was noted these elements should be encouraged during pre-registration training. Organisational factors included the needed for GPN employers to understand the value and benefit of GPN clinical academic roles, along with ensuring that the inevitable competing demands of such a role were appropriately managed. Conclusions: This study highlights the difficulties faced by GPNs wishing to pursue a clinical academic career. Academia is seemingly placed upon a pedestal, emphasising the need to embed research training early on in nursing education in order to alter GPN perceptions that clinical academic roles are unobtainable. Moreover, the development of a robust career pathway for GPN clinical academic roles may have a positive impact on the retention of experienced GPNs and attract newly qualified nurses.

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Clinical academic careers for general practice nurses: a rapid evidence assessment

Journal of Research in Nursing ◽

10.1177/1744987120954261 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 174498712095426

Author(s):

Andrew Bradbury ◽

Sue Shortland ◽

Sarahjane Jones ◽

Fraser Hewett ◽

and Karen Storey

Keyword(s):

General Practice ◽

Cultural Change ◽

Academic Career ◽

Academic Careers ◽

Direct Patient Care ◽

Policy And Practice ◽

Enabling Factors ◽

Practice Nurses ◽

Organisational Research ◽

The Uk

Background Clinical academics are health professionals who provide direct patient care alongside engaging in health research. Despite the generally agreed consensus that such roles enhance evidence-based care, availability and uptake has been sporadic in non-medical professions. With no data readily available regarding general practice nurses undertaking clinical academic roles, there is a need to understand the barriers and enabling factors that impact general practice nurses considering or pursuing a clinical academic career. Aims This review aims to address the question ‘What are the barriers and enablers relevant to general practice nurses in the UK pursuing clinical academic careers?’ by providing an overview of the relevant existing literature and drawing out the implications for policy and practice. Methods Literature published in the past 10 years was systematically searched. Using agreed inclusion criteria, papers were first screened on titles and abstracts, with papers included at this stage reviewed as full texts. Results Thirteen papers met the criteria for inclusion. The extraction and synthesis of findings allowed for the development of three themes: roles and responsibilities; embarking on a clinical academic career; and organisational research culture. Conclusions Findings suggest that infrastructure developments are required across higher education institutions and general practice organisations to bring about a cultural change to equip and empower general practice nurses to consider and pursue clinical academic careers.

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Commentary: Clinical academic careers for general practice nurses: a rapid evidence assessment

Journal of Research in Nursing ◽

10.1177/1744987120956728 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 174498712095672

Author(s):

Juliet MacArthur

Keyword(s):

General Practice ◽

Academic Careers ◽

Practice Nurses

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Stopping smoking advice given by practice assistants after routine cervical screening in general practice: a qualitative exploration of potential barriers and enablers.

10.21203/rs.2.16494/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Marthe B.L. Mansour ◽

Matty R. Crone ◽

Henk C. van Weert ◽

Niels H. Chavannes ◽

Kristel M. van Asselt

Keyword(s):

General Practice ◽

Cervical Screening ◽

Potential Barriers ◽

Barriers And Enablers ◽

Qualitative Exploration

Abstract The authors have withdrawn this preprint due to author disagreement.

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Pharmacists in general practice: a qualitative process evaluation of the General Practice Pharmacist (GPP) study

Family Practice ◽

10.1093/fampra/cmaa044 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 37 (5) ◽

pp. 711-718

Author(s):

Oscar James ◽

Karen Cardwell ◽

Frank Moriarty ◽

Susan M Smith ◽

Barbara Clyne

Keyword(s):

General Practice ◽

Process Evaluation ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Qualitative Approach ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Practice Staff ◽

Practice Nurses ◽

Practice Team ◽

Prescribing Quality ◽

Descriptive Qualitative

Abstract Background There is some evidence to suggest that pharmacists integrated into primary care improves patient outcomes and prescribing quality. Despite this growing evidence, there is a lack of detail about the context of the role. Objective To explore the implementation of The General Practice Pharmacist (GPP) intervention (pharmacists integrating into general practice within a non-randomized pilot study in Ireland), the experiences of study participants and lessons for future implementation. Design and setting Process evaluation with a descriptive qualitative approach conducted in four purposively selected GP practices. Methods A process evaluation with a descriptive qualitative approach was conducted in four purposively selected GP practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic analysis. Results Twenty-three participants (three pharmacists, four GPs, four patients, four practice nurses, four practice managers and four practice administrators) were interviewed. Themes reported include day-to-day practicalities (incorporating location and space, systems and procedures and pharmacists’ tasks), relationships and communication (incorporating GP/pharmacist mode of communication, mutual trust and respect, relationship with other practice staff and with patients) and role perception (incorporating shared goals, professional rewards, scope of practice and logistics). Conclusions Pharmacists working within the general practice team have potential to improve prescribing quality. This process evaluation found that a pharmacist joining the general practice team was well accepted by the GP and practice staff and effective interprofessional relationships were described. Patients were less clear of the overall benefits. Important barriers (such as funding, infrastructure and workload) and facilitators (such as teamwork and integration) to the intervention were identified which will be incorporated into a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial.

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