title: An innovative strategy to increase a professional workforce: the fast track initiative for health visitors in England.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fast tracking is one strategy that organizations use to ameliorate workforce shortfalls by attracting new recruits, and accelerating their skills development and experience. In response to the Government's target of rapidly expanding the number of health visitors in England's National Health Service, the fast track initiative was launched to recruit newly qualified (fast track) as well as experienced (standard entry) nurses and midwives onto health visiting programmes. This paper evaluates the fast track initiative, from the perspective of fast track and standard entry students, practice teachers and health visitor managers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A mixed methods design was used comprising a questionnaire survey (n = 71 students), semi-structured interviews (n = 37 students), telephone interviews (n = 13 managers) and six focus groups (n = 24 practice teachers). Data were collected between April 2012 and July 2013. Descriptive statistics, t-tests and the Pearson Chi-square test were used to analyse the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analysed thematically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Motivations for health visiting as a career choice were similar for fast track and standard entry students, with career progression and interest in health promotion being key motivators. There was consensus that personal qualities and characteristics were more important than experience or qualifications. However, fast track students were significantly less confident about their public health competencies in leadership and management (p < 0.05) and communication (p < 0.02). Practice teachers and managers also reported that fast track students required more intensive supervision particularly at the beginning of the programme. Programme completion including pass rates and academic achievement showed no significant difference by route of entry (p > 0.5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fast tracking offers a useful recruitment strategy in order to expand the health visitor workforce, but longitudinal research is needed to confirm benefits such as retention and career trajectories.
authors.affiliation: Programme Leader, Specialist Community Public Health Nursing: Health Visiting and School Nursing, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK lynn.sayer@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sayer
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: K Louise
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Barriball
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bliss
authors.affiliation: Research Associate, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: Savita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bakhshi
authors.affiliation: Professor of Community Nursing, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: Alison E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: While
mesh_terms: D002321:Career Choice; D004739:England; D006280:Health Workforce; D006801:Humans; D008880:Midwifery / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration; D009042:Motivation; D064691:Nurses, Community Health / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: fast track; health visiting; recruitment