Time for change? A qualitative exploration of the educational preparation and subsequent continuing professional development needs of nurse and midwife prescribers

Aim/objective: The aim of this study was to explore nurse and midwife prescribers' perception of their educational preparation for the role and identify continuing professional development (CPD) requirements to generate practitioner-based knowledge with the potential to inform education and research, policy and practice.

Background: Educational preparation for the nurse and midwife prescribing role has remained relatively unchanged since its introduction and follows a model whereby practitioners engage in theoretical learning and learning situated within the clinical environment, facilitated by a dedicated medical mentor. No significant examination of this preparation has been undertaken in Ireland since 2009.

Design: This was a qualitative study, guided by elements associated with hermeneutic phenomenology.

Methods: Following research ethics approval and informed consent, 16 participants from 2 maternity hospitals participated in one-to-one audio recorded semi-structured interviews.

Results: Participants experience of the education programme varied with some acknowledging the importance of a broad pharmacological module whereas others believed it to be irrelevant given their prescribing scope was in many instances quiet narrow. The experience of being mentored by a medical doctor ranged from a positive learning experience to one which did not contribute to learning. Barriers to engaging with CPD were identified along with advancements in the practice arena which identify additional CPD requirements.

Conclusions: This study has generated practitioner-based knowledge which provides direction for future developments in the educational preparation of nurse and midwife prescribers, particularly around pharmacology and mentorship and outlines specific CPD requirements for practitioners.