title: The development of a practice-driven, reality-based program for rural acute care registered nurses.
abstract: Few education programs adequately prepare rural registered nurses (RNs) for "multispecialist" roles within small acute care facilities. This article describes the development of a post-RN rural acute care certificate program. To plan relevant curriculum and program delivery approaches, a series of focus groups were held with 236 rural RNs throughout British Columbia, Canada. The themes that emerged from RNs' descriptions of their everyday practice form the foundation of the new curriculum. The resulting program is practice driven and reality based, with a curriculum, teaching and learning strategies, and program delivery methods that are responsive to the learning needs of rural nurses.
authors.affiliation: University of Northern British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Martha L P
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: MacLeod
authors.forename: A Elizabeth
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Lindsey
authors.forename: Catherine H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fulton
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: John
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001955:British Columbia; D002568:Certification / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012423:Rural Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires