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A descriptive study of nursing refresher course candidates

University of British Columbia

The study had two purposes. The first purpose was to describe the characteristics of graduate nurses who had expressed interest in a refresher course for graduate nurses. The second purpose was to determine the extent to which these nurses were a potential source of nurse manpower supply. Survey methodology, utilizing a mail-back questionnaire developed by the investigator, was selected as the research approach. The questionnaire was completed by 199 nurses who had placed their names on the mailing list for a refresher course for graduate nurses at one post-secondary educational institution located in a large metropolitan area. Analysis indicated that graduate nurses who express interest in a refresher course are not similar, as a group, to the entire population of inactive nurses. Rather, they constitute a population of both inactive and employed nurses. Nurses in the study sample were older, had older children and had graduated earlier than had been found in previous studies of inactive nurses. It was concluded that the extent to which nurses who express interest in a refresher course represent a potential source of nurse manpower supply is less than might be expected on the basis of numbers alone. Forty-six nurses (23.1 percent) were employed as registered nurses when they completed the questionnaire. Of the 153 respondents who were inactive in nursing, a majority (66 percent) indicated they planned to resume active status as nurses upon completion of a refresher course. Most, (57.4 percent) would prefer part-time employment and schedules that provide for a minimum of conflict with family activities and responsibilities. The study was limited by a low response rate and by an absence of follow-up of non-respondents but, given these limitations, the results have implications for nursing education and for nursing administration.

Text

2010-03-23

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/22320

Nursing

University of British Columbia

Graduate