Abstract
BackgroundThe nursing associate role was developed in England in response to the ‘Shape of Caring’ review. It has been implemented to fulfil two aims; to bridge the gap between registered nurses and healthcare assistants, and to provide an alternative route into registered nursing in light of workforce shortages.Other high income countries deploy second level nurses within their healthcare systems, however the UK has a turbulent history with such roles. The previous state enrolled nurse was phased out in the 1990s, and more recently the assistant practitioner (AP) role has faced wide variation in titles, scope and pay. Little is known about those who have embarked on the new nursing associate training course and their experiences of the role.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative study was undertaken using focus groups of trainee nursing associates to generate in-depth discussion about their motivations, experiences of training, and career aspirations.Three focus groups (n = 15) took place in December 2018 using a purposive sample of trainee nursing associates registered at a University in the North of England. Two researchers facilitated each group discussion at a time and place convenient for participants. The discussions were audio recorded, transcribed and data was analysed thematically.ResultsThis study found that trainee nursing associates are motivated by affordable, local, career development. During training they face challenges relating to clinical support, academic workload and uncertainty about future career opportunities. They experience role ambiguity both individually and across the wider organisation. Trainee nursing associates rely on broad support networks to build their occupational identity.ConclusionsThe barriers and facilitators of trainee nursing associate personal development have implications for policy and practice relating to recruitment and retention. The results increase our understanding of this emerging role, and have informed the development of a larger longitudinal cohort study. Further research is required to evaluate the impact of this new role.
Highlights
The nursing associate role was developed in England in response to the ‘Shape of Caring’ review
Little is known about the new nursing associate (NA) role as the first students only qualified in January 2019, lessons can be learned from previous research on similar roles such as the state enrolled nurse (SEN) and assistant practitioner (AP)
Affordable career development Participants had previously worked as healthcare assistants (HCAs) or support workers in diverse fields such as learning disabilities, mental health, surgery, emergency care, orthopaedics, and haematology
Summary
The nursing associate role was developed in England in response to the ‘Shape of Caring’ review. The aim of the role is twofold; to bridge the gap between healthcare assistants (HCAs) and registered nurses (RNs), while simultaneously offering an alternative route into nursing. This is important in the current context, as the UK health service is under increasing pressure due to an aging population and workforce shortages [2]. A sub-sample was analysed independently by another researcher, all authors assisted in finalising the themes This process helps ensure that the quotes provided are not the idiosyncratic views of individuals but are illustrative of points and themes developed across the dataset. Latent analysis provided a further level of interpretation such as that noted in results section 3.1 where the tensions and conflict reported can be understood as representing a wider issue of role ambiguity for the TNAs
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