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Educare

Educare

DICIEMBRE 2006 N° 10 Volumen 4

Phenomenology and case reports: the novel or incipient nurse. Their first job experience

Section: TEACHING TO LEARN

Authors

Epifanio Fernández Collado

Position

Catedrático de Universidad. Director del Área Académica de Enfermería. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Europea de Madrid.

Contact address

Universidad Europea de Madrid. Urbanización ?El Bosque?. C/ Tajo, s/n. 28070 Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid.

Contact email: epifanio.fernandez@uem.es

Abstract

This phenomenological study provides further understanding of the incipient nurse, or starting/novel nurse on her first job and her or his characteristics. But most importantly, it shows that healthcare institutions still base their selection and hiring processes on an utilisation/managerial framework that guide nursing practices and the way in which novel nurses are used when hired for their first job, instead of basing their selection process on real ethical values.

The fact of having graduated as a nurse from the UEM is largely associated to being available, to being responsible, to being a good searcher of information, cooperative, respectful towards others, open to reflection, with a holistic vision of the practice, and with a double transitory identity, with a willingness to help at all times, and with a high degree of reasonability added to the values of daily living in benefit of both society and the nursing profession. We are talking about a person with good control of generic c ompetences such as reasoning, responsibility, self-motivation, self-confidence, respect for ethical values, teamwork, understanding towards other individuals, reflexive thoughts, holistica vision.

The clinical practice of starting nurses has shown the existence of relevant facts in terms of their training, which we aim to analyse and rethink from the point of view of the university, including: being by the side of the patient, in touch with the real human side of events, and highly complex experienced and lived situations.

This investigation shows that the incorporation of the starter nurse to the clinical practice is not only an exercise where all the acquired knowledge is put into practice. It also involves the construction of new theoretical concepts and knowledge, learnt from being exposed to specific difficult situations in a human setting requiring an effort to integrate and mobilise the resources learnt through the training, competences and their qualification.

For presentation purposes, this paper is divided into two parts (two articles). I have decided to do it this way because I feel I ought to present not only the results but also the process that has led me to them and from which one learns, the actual process is learning. The first article develops the theoretical framework for the analysis and description/use of the chosen methodological instrument, that is phenomenology, a reflexive diary. The following article (Part II) presents the field work, results and discussion.

 
Phenomenology in nursing; novel nurse; experiences of newly graduates in nursing on their first job; reflexive diary as a methodological instruments in phenomenology and qualitative research.

Keywords:

phenomenology in nursing; novel nurse; experiences of newly graduates in nursing on their first jobreflexive diary as a methodological instruments in phenomenology and qualitative research

Versión en Español

Título:

Fenomenología y estudio de casos: la enfermera novel o incipiente. Vivencias de su primer trabajo en el mundo de la práctica profesional