Graduate entrants into nursing – Are we meeting their needs?

SummaryChanges to statutory requirements led to the need to redesign the current shortened programme for graduates (SPG) offered by the University of Dundee. A review of the literature revealed very little published material relating to this type of programme and that which did exist was predominantly American in origin. Prior to developing a new programme a study was carried out. The aim of the study was to explore the attitudes and opinions of non-nurse graduates currently undertaking the accelerated pre-registration programme of study offered by the University of Dundee.DesignPurposive sampling was adopted and all students currently undertaking the programme were invited to participate. Data were collected using three focus group interviews with a minimum of five and a maximum of seven participants. All interviews were tape-recorded. The tapes were transcribed and data analysed using a content analysis approach.FindingsSeveral important themes and sub-themes emerged from the interviews. These were consistent across all groups. The themes were:
• Usefulness of their first degree to their current programme of study.
• Course design and content.
• Assessment strategies.
• Placement issues.
• Attitudes of others.DiscussionThe data offered a rich insight into the attitudes and opinions of students undertaking the current SPG. The findings supported those of previous studies and have been used to inform curriculum development.