Learning opportunities for nurses working within home care

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore home care nurses' experience of learning in a multicultural environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was based on qualitative research design. Data were collected through repeated interviews with registered home care nurses working in a multicultural area. The data were analyzed through a qualitative content analysis with a direct approach.

Findings

Six categories describing nurses' experiences of learning were developed in order to define which components were determinative in facilitating or constraining home care in a multicultural environment. The findings show that home care demands high individual nursing skills and also offers many opportunities for further learning. The most important sources of learning were the challenges presented in the daily experience of encountering diversity of patients and families, by informal social interactions and exchange of knowledge with colleagues.

Research limitations/implications

The strength of this study is that data are collected by two different methods with time for reflection in between. Limitations are that only female nurses participate in the study and from one team of nurses.

Practical implications

The findings can be used by nurses to create an awareness of the opportunities that exist in everyday work. For managers, this study highlights learning and constraints that exist on the organisation level.

Originality/value

This article adds to existing research by describing the learning environment for home care nurses in relation to the theoretical framework that examines the factors which either facilitate or constrain learning at work.

Citation

Lundgren, S. (2011), "Learning opportunities for nurses working within home care", Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 6-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/13665621111097227