Learning community participation: A valuable opportunity for transferring actions and behaviors within the nursing learning and working context?

Nurse Education in Practice, vol. 79, pp. 104084

Abstract

Indicating how community participation transfers to application within the nursing learning and working context. Preparing nurses to drive advances in health care requires the integration of working and learning. Learning communities are therefore recommended to connect students, educational programs and health care organizations. A multiple case study with three hospital learning communities was conducted during the 2019–2020 academic year, partly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main data were collected by conducting three group interviews and 21 individual interviews with members. A hybrid thematic analysis approach was used. Seven themes originated from the analysis: learning community features, learning community preconditions, learning community needs, impetus, application, research context and meaningfulness . Individual members applied acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes later or in other situations. Depending on the case, collective application manifested as inventing, consulting or reusing, but this seemed less sustainable in the research context at the time. Application within the nursing learning and working context occurs and is sustained at the individual level even when there are no organized learning community sessions in times of crisis. Framing and facilitators’ support can be used to encourage collective application. • Learning communities contribute to integrating learning and working. • Community involvement can prompt application in other moments or situations. • Acquired knowledge, skills, and attitudes are individually applied by members. • Collective application is reflected in inventing, consulting or reusing. • Transfer to application also occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors 4

1. Wendy M. Heemskerk corresponding Aachen

   Leiden University · Leiden University Medical Center · Haga Hospital

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University Medical Centre, Public Health and Primary Care, Health Campus The Hague, Turfmarkt 99, The Hague 2511 DP, the Netherlands; Haga Teaching Hospital, HagaAcademy, Els Borst-Eilersplein 275, The Hague 2545 AA, the Netherlands. Electronic address: w.m.heemskerk@lumc.nl

2. Christian Wallner Aachen Faculty of Health

   University of Applied Sciences Leiden

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Applied Sciences Leiden, Faculty of Health, Zernikedreef 11, Leiden 2333 CK, the Netherlands. Electronic address: wallner.c@hsleiden.nl

3. Clarissa Jungerius Aachen Faculty of Health

   University of Applied Sciences Leiden

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Applied Sciences Leiden, Faculty of Health, Zernikedreef 11, Leiden 2333 CK, the Netherlands. Electronic address: jungerius.c@hsleiden.nl

4. Jet Bussemaker Aachen

   Leiden University · Leiden University Medical Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University Medical Centre, Public Health and Primary Care, Health Campus The Hague, Turfmarkt 99, The Hague 2511 DP, the Netherlands; Leiden University, Institute of Public Administration, Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, Turfmarkt 99, The Hague 2511 DP, the Netherlands. Electronic address: m.bussemaker@lumc.nl