Identifying and addressing the challenges experienced by nursing associates
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Identifying and addressing the challenges experienced by nursing associates

Gemma Ryan-Blackwell Senior lecturer in nursing/programme leader, the Open University, Milton Keynes, England
Nicola Genders Associate lecturer, the Open University, Milton Keynes, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To refresh your knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of nursing associates

  • To recognise the challenges commonly experienced by nursing associates in practice

  • To learn about a framework that was developed to address the weakness and threats associated with the nursing associate role

Background The nursing associate role is relatively new, with the first few registrants qualifying in 2019. Nursing associates contribute to the care of patients under the supervision of a nurse; however, they can often experience challenges in practice associated with variations in the tasks they are permitted to undertake.

Aim To explore the lived experiences of nursing associates and the perspectives of people who work with them to understand what weaknesses and threats are associated with the role.

Method A realist ethnographic approach was used, incorporating semi-structured interviews with nursing associates (n=8) and focus groups with healthcare professionals who had experience of working with nursing associates (n=8).

Results Analysis of the data identified three overarching themes relating to threats to the nursing associate role: incivility and role ambiguity; curriculum and placements; and motivations and career opportunities. The data also revealed five ‘entities’ that influence the nursing associate journey – the individual’s status, the healthcare team, education providers, the employing organisation, and nurses’ professional organisations.

Conclusion A framework addressing the weaknesses and threats to the nursing associate role was produced. This outlines interventions and improvements that can encourage, enable, empower and ennoble nursing associates, while also supporting the implementation of the role into practice.

Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2024.e2140

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@gemma_s_ryan

Correspondence

gemma.ryan-blackwell@open.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Ryan-Blackwell G, Genders N (2024) Identifying and addressing the challenges experienced by nursing associates. Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2024.e2140

Published online: 16 October 2024

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