Nursing Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Nursing, including details on health care, hospital staff, professional care.

A qualitative study of how experienced certified holistic nurses learn to become competent practitioners.

Sharoff L

Hunter College, New York City, NY, USA.

PURPOSE: Artistry of holistic nursing requires practitioners to be equipped with the ability to integrate and assimilate knowledge and experience. This integrated wisdom is woven into proficiency and expertise, thus allowing for the transition to an experienced competent health care provider who can meet the complex mélange of practice. This qualitative naturalistic study was designed to explore how 10 experienced certified holistic nurses (HNCs) learned to become competent holistic nurses. METHOD: In-depth interviews of 10 HNCs, critical incident reports, and a summative focus group. FINDINGS: (a) Disjuncture existed between the structure of traditional nursing and the need of nurses for continued personal and professional growth and development; (b) need for credibility was key to nurses becoming competent holistic nurses; (c) use of informal learning strategies to help them achieve competency; and (d) overcoming challenges emanating from the traditional system as they transitioned to becoming holistic nurses.

Published 2 June 2006 in J Holist Nurs, 24(2): 116-24.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Nursing Research Today. All Rights Reserved.