Background: Building capacity in a changing health care system is a challenge for advanced nursing education\nprograms. Master-level nursing education is increasingly becoming the required education level for specialist nurses,\nand additional studies are needed to learn more about studentsââ?¬â?¢ experiences and learning transitions while undertaking\nsuch education. This study aimed to explore nursing studentsââ?¬â?¢ experience of their learning transitions while undertaking\nadvanced nursing education and to describe how they translated the new knowledge and competence they gained\ninto clinical practice.\nMethods: We used a qualitative research design with narrative self-reported reflections. 34 nurses (95 % women) from\nboth urban and rural areas working with children, with adults in outpatient and inpatient endocrinology clinics\nin hospitals or with adults, including older people, attending primary health care services participated in the\nstudy. We collected data at two time points 15 months apart. Time one was the first week of the advanced\nnursing education, and time two was the completion of the education program. We used Malterudââ?¬â?¢s modification of\nGiorgiââ?¬â?¢s phenomenological analysis, otherwise known as systematic text condensation, to analyze the data.\nResults: Two core themes captured the participantsââ?¬â?¢ experiences. The first theme was ââ?¬Å?assessing the situation of people\nwith diabetes from a different perspectiveââ?¬Â, with the subthemes ââ?¬Å?an expanded perspective of practice and higher level of\nreflectionââ?¬Â, ââ?¬Å?applying critical thinking in practiceââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?changing patient-nurse relationships in diabetes careââ?¬Â. The second\ncore theme was ââ?¬Å?a change in participantsââ?¬â?¢ perception of their professional positionââ?¬Â, with the subthemes ââ?¬Å?a\ngreater knowledge base enhancing professional confidenceââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?a more equal position within the professional teamââ?¬Â.\nConclusions: The study provides in-depth information about transition into advanced nursing education and can\ninform curriculum developers, nurse educators, policy-makers and nursing managers about how nursing education\nbroadened participantsââ?¬â?¢ perspectives of nursing and enhanced their confidence and professional position.
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