Implications of an Aging Registered Nurse WorkForce - Essay Example

? Critique of Qualitative Article Critique of Qualitative Article Introduction The article titled “The experience of inactive nurses returned to nursing after completing a refresher course” by Hammer and Craig is well researched publication that critically uses face to face interviews to examine the feasibility of returning inactive nurses to nursing after refresher courses as a solution to the shortage of nurses in our contemporary healthcare institutions. The focus of the study was to highlight the experiences of nurses In Midwestern University who were returning to active service after completing independent refresher courses between the years 2000 and 2005 (Hammer and Craig, 2008). Generally, the primary purpose of the phenomenological research was to identify some of the experiences usually encountered by previously inactive nurses taking refresher courses before returning to active nursing practice. Refresher courses is one of the evidenced best practice practices that are increasingly being used in the health care system to improve the performance of professionals particularly after being inactive in the service. The researchers have effectively employed the use of a systematic inquiry and well structured methods to address some of their research questions. This is particularly important because use of evidence based practice in nursing is widely based on the previous researches. This paper critically analyzes the appropriateness of the qualitative research design used as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of the research article. Feasibility and significance of the study With regard to the feasibility and effectiveness of the research, a number of previous publications have revealed a growing shortage of nurses in our health in various healthcare institutions. The growing shortage has resulted in poor patients care and may calumniate to increased mortality rates if left unchecked. For example, according to Buerhaus, Staiger and Auerbach (2000), the contemporary shortage of nurses across the United States is projected to reach 20% below the projected demand. Consequently, the research regarding the experience of inactive nurses returning to nursing after undergoing refresher courses is significantly important because it will provide more insight into some of the ways of mitigating the current shortage of nurses. For instance the described experiences of inactive nurses who are returning to practice can effectively be used in evidence based practice to help in the improve patient care in healthcare institutions. Appropriateness of the study design The research methodology used by the researchers has met most of the conditions necessary for research methodology congruence. For example some of the criteria adopted during the conduct of the research study included selecting participants who have successfully completed refresher courses and had been employed in active nursing for 6 month after completing the course, had time to participate in face to face interviews and were living round the research centers. In this regard, the criterion used in selecting the potential respondents not only ensured the effectiveness of the research but it also ensured that the researchers the prospective participants were best placed to effectively provide answers to some of the research questions. On the other hand, the use of face to face interviews provided the researchers with an opportunity to clarify any doubt to the participants and adapt the questions such as by rephrasing or repeating some questions. This is particularly necessary because it enables the researchers to ensure that the interview questions are well understood thereby improving the reliability of the responses. Additionally the use of face –to-face interviews also allowed the researchers to pick up nonverbal clues that may be unconsciously exhibited by the respondents. It is however worth noting that despite the effectiveness of this research method, face –face interviews can potentially compromise the anonymity of the responses and some participants may feel uneasy about disclosing some information (Creswell, 2007). The manner in which the research were carried out was relatively good and indeed possible with the researcher allowing calmness and a smooth flow of questions which in-turn paved way for participants to relax and courageously counter questions as honestly as the research required, this was done by first familiarizing the participants with the whole interview process through giving them a set of already composed questions where they were to read through, and again allowing them to listen to the transcribed copy of the interview so as to verify its accuracy. Additionally through asking the participants several questions at once made them confused during answering. The semistructured design used in conducting the interview, in which the researcher knows the questions to be asked but is not aware of how the participants are going to respond to the questions, ensured that the researcher receive the needed information without forgetting to ask any , while at the same time, giving the participants a chance to freely respond and illustrate concepts into details, for example the research questions in the article were guided by a set of already printed questions composed by the researcher herself. Although the research questions was fairly appropriate, the interviewer need to improve on several sections of the study such as, giving the participants the attention required by providing any additional information to the participants. With regard to the analytical and interpretative preciseness of the research study, the use of digital voice recorders coded by date and number provided the researchers with an effective mechanism of reviewing the interviews and ensuring the accuracy of the interpreted results. Similarly, by writing their observations soon after conducting the interviews as well as keeping the information of the participants in separate files, the researchers were able to effectively audit the precision of the methods and procedures used in conducting the research study (Creswell, 2007). The sampling technique used was however not representative and this increased the risk of biasness and inaccuracies. For example, there was no clear guideline for selecting the prospective participants. The qualitative research demonstrated some philosophical connectedness to the topic of study and to the nursing practice in general. For example, the study acknowledged the current shortage of nurses in the country and the philosophical basis was consistent with the general assumption that re-employment of inactive nurses after undergoing refresher courses is one of the most effective approaches of solving the problem (Yancy and Handley, 2004). The researchers also cited a number of other previous researches and the findings effectively outlined some of the experiences of inactive nurses returning to nursing practice as well as demonstrated the significance of refresher courses in the improvement of patient care in our contemporary healthcare system. Conclusion Although the researchers have effectively employed the use of a systematic inquiry and well structured methods to address some of their research questions, the study had a few limitations such as the sampling criteria used in selecting the participants. In my opinion, the credibility and effectiveness of the research could have been significantly improved by selecting a representative sample of participants. References Buerhaus, P., Staiger, D., Auerbach, D. (2000). Implications of an aging registered nurse work force. Journal of the American Medical Association, 283, 22, 2948-2954. Creswell, J. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research method: Choosing among five approaches (2nd. ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hammer, V., Craig, G. (2008). The experience of inactive nurses returned to nursing after completing a refresher course. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 39,8, 358-367. Yancy, P., Handley, A. (2004). Can everyone be refreshed? The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 35,2, 80-83. Read More