Graduateness in nursing : a case study of undergraduate nursing students' development and employability

• Main Author: Lyte, Geraldine
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of Manchester 2007
• Subjects: pre-registration nursing : graduateness : nursing competence

This research has focused on a detailed exploration of undergraduate nursing students' development for registration and their future employability potential. There has been a particular emphasis on probing whether there is value in being a nursing graduate, within this. In the study employability refers to graduating students' preparedness to contribute to their immediate and longer term working lives, using the combination of operational and academic competence, self-efficacy and potential for further development through reflection and lifelong learning. A review of literature has revealed that there is a general paucity of any type of related published research from the within the UK and elsewhere, especially qualitatively-based research. In particular, no research could be found which has explored in-depth, as its primary aim, what nursing graduateness constitutes at the point of graduation and registration as a nurse and, whether it contributes to the employability potential of graduate nurses for both basic and advanced practice. A qualitative, instrumental case study was applied as the research design to achieve depth of focus for this inquiry, in order to meet the aims of the research. Findings from the study have uncovered a wide range of graduate attributes which were identified within participating students' development and perceived employability potential. From this a model of nursing graduateness has been proposed. Findings also indicated that changing healthcare needs within society coupled with the recent reforms in healthcare, NHS policy and the nursing role have placed greater emphasis than ever before on such graduate attributes within nursing as higher order thinking for effective nursing practice. Recommendations have been put forward for nursing education practice and research.