title: How nurse teachers keep up-to-date: their methods and practices.
abstract: A total of 316 nurse teachers completed a self-administered questionnaire in an investigation of the methods and practices they use to keep up-to-date. The study was in two stages. In the first stage, 240 respondents were asked to rate 13 activities as indispensable, useful or of minimal value for updating. Responses were not found to depend significantly on qualifications or years of experience (P < 0.05). Reading journals was most frequently rated as indispensable and in a separate question most indispensable of all. In the second stage, studying for a degree or diploma was added, giving a total of 14 activities. These were rated for four different purposes: topping up; restoring fluency; increasing depth; or adding to range of knowledge/skills. Most discrimination was observed for the category restoring fluency. The time nurse teachers spend on updating, the updating activities they spend most time on and set time aside for, and how they keep clinical skills up-to-date, were also assessed.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Love
mesh_terms: D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires