Research

About my Research

Background

 

Nurses are required to develop and maintain their knowledge and skills throughout  their careers in order to maintain patient safety (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2015). Dyslexia is a neurological condition with lifelong persistence (Ramus et al., 2003) and a search of the Nursing and Midwifery Council website revealed 13 cases that had been brought to the Conduct and Competence Committee in the last two years where dyslexia had been cited as an issue or contributory factor (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2012). These cases have led to a variety of sanctions including suspension and striking off of the register and the end of the nurse’s career. Whilst this is a fairly low number relatively to the total number of referrals to the NMC Conduct and Competence Committee, it illustrates the point that dyslexia can continue to be a problem for registered nurses, although the full extent is unknown. Many people with dyslexia can function very well within the work environment using compensatory strategies, although these strategies may be ineffective when they are subject to stress (Brunswick, 2012).

 

The majority of the research that has been completed has been carried out with pre-registration student nurses with dyslexia (Morris and Turnbull, 2006, Morris and Turnbull, 2007a, White, 2007, Child and Langford, 2011, Ridley, 2011).  However, one study researched the career progression of nurses with dyslexia (Morris and Turnbull, 2007b) and another studied the effects of dyslexia on the work of nurses and healthcare assistants (Illingworth, 2005) . There appears to be no other research on the effects of dyslexia in qualified nurses. 

 

Whilst there is literature on the attitudes of nurses to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and the influencing factors for engagement in study (Morris and Turnbull, 2007b), there is little evidence of what types of lifelong learning nurses engage in or indeed the effects of dyslexia on the choices that nurses make when engaging in CPD. The literature review has shown that previous experiences of learning influence nurses attitudes to CPD (Hughes, 2005) and as much of the literature identified a lack of self-esteem in regards to learning in students with dyslexia (Burden and Burdett, 2005, Price and Gale, 2006, Gibson and Kendall, 2010, Evans, 2013), it could be concluded that this may have an effect on how qualified nurses with dyslexia engage in lifelong learning and if they choose, formal, nonformal or informal learning. This will be explored further in the proposed study.

 

Research from several professional groups have identified that there is still an ongoing concern about the inclusion of disabled healthcare professionals and in particular those with dyslexia from both lecturers and practice providers (Sowers and Smith, 2004, Murphy, 2009, Rankin et al., 2009, Carey, 2011, Ashcroft and Lutfiyya, 2013, Evans, 2014b, McPheat, 2014, Nolan et al., 2014).

 

Attitudes of teaching staff have been found to be key in the support of students with dyslexia (Storr et al., 2011, Cameron and Nunkoosing, 2012, Ashcroft and Lutfiyya, 2013).  The literature review by Storr et al. (2011) identified that a negative attitude to students with a disability and a lack of understanding of the condition was a barrier to student progress and that a lack of awareness and a lack of support resulted in adverse student experiences. 

 

Methodology

 

A narrative life course approach will be used to investigate the experiences of the participants during their nursing careers as well as how earlier educational experiences may have influenced their later educational choices. Narrative research is appropriate as I am  interested in the personal accounts of the participants (Bell, 2005). A narrative approach will also be appropriate for investigating the experiences of lecturers who have supported registered nurses with dyslexia to engage in CPD.