In the shadow of the ivory tower: Experiences of midwives and nurses undertaking PhDs
Introduction
The role of midwifery and nursing academics is currently undergoing a major change worldwide; until recently, what academics lacked in learning and teaching skills was tempered with the vast clinical and managerial experience brought to the novice academic role (Thomson, 2015). Nurses and midwives are also encouraged to produce research and contribute to the body of nursing and midwifery knowledge in both clinical and academic roles (Braidford and Terry, 2015). This has led to a global rise of nurses and midwives embarking on and obtaining Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees (Kim et al., 2015). Undertaking a PhD in any discipline is challenging, and there are high attrition rates and the possibility of failure after many years of study (Leijen et al., 2016). The professional disciplines of Nursing and Midwifery value a PhD qualification, as it is a requirement in most academic positions, providing opportunities to engage in leadership and policy making, enhances teaching, and research and clinical practice (Conti and Visentin, 2015; Tarvid, 2014).
However, University attrition rates are high in many countries, with one in three students failing to complete the course they began within six years of enrolling (Litalien and Guay, 2015). In the international context, the United Kingdom (UK) currently has a 40% failure to complete Higher Degree by Research (HDR) studies, the Netherlands has a 38% expected failure rate, and the United States of America (USA) has a 53% failure to complete rate (Sokol, 2012; van de Schoot et al., 2013).
None completion of a PhD is detrimental to Universities, leading to individual stress for both supervisors and students, including loss of valuable time and resources invested in the training and supervision invested in the candidate (Feldon et al., 2010), which can lead to a loss of competitive advantage for Universities (Bourke et al., 2004). Many countries encourage PhD studies to be completed over three or four years (Sadlak, 2004), but in reality, PhD candidates often take much longer to complete their doctoral studies (van de Schoot et al., 2013).
Therefore, it is important to understand what is happening at doctoral level education for nurses and midwives, and how those enrolled on PhD courses can successfully complete their studies and transition learning and the ability to undertake research into the clinical environments.
Section snippets
Background
This study was guided by the conceptual model of generic doctoral-level threshold concepts that provide a strong theoretical framework to support the learning of research and teaching at graduate level (Kiley and Wisker, 2009). Concepts and theoretical frameworks help PhD students make important links between theory and practice, and in the case of nursing and midwifery PhD students, increase the ability to complete doctoral studies. From the institution's perspective, a greater understanding
Aim of the Study
The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of nurses and midwives enrolled on a Doctor of Philosophy degree, explore any barriers that PhD students encounter whilst completing the degree, and develop recommendations for consideration in formulating support strategies to encourage completion. There are currently no studies that have been identified that focus specifically on the experiences of nurses and midwives undertaking a PhD in Western Australia. The study could
Methodology
A mixed methodology non-experimental design approach was used in this study, as there was no known published information regarding nurses and midwives enrolled in a PhD in Western Australia. The mixed methodology approach used both qualitative and quantitative questions in an anonymous survey, to understand the experiences of nurses and midwives who were enrolled on a PhD degree.
Setting
The study was conducted at one University in Western Australia, and participants were recruited from a School of Nursing and Midwifery within this University.
Participants
Purposive sampling was used for this study, and the criteria for inclusion into the study was that participants were either a Registered Nurse or Registered Midwife enrolled in a PhD degree within the School of Nursing and Midwifery, at one University in Western Australia. The participants were all at different stages of their PhD journey,
Validity/rigour
Prior to administration to the ethics committee, the online survey was submitted to two recently graduated PhD former students for peer review. Positive feedback was yielded from peer review of the online survey, and the survey was found to be user friendly and appropriate and some amendments were recommended and utilised.
Discussion
At the time of commencement of this study, a literature search revealed it was the first to examine the experiences of nurses and midwives undertaking a PhD in Western Australia. The findings of this study revealed that supervision and selection of supervisors is a vitally important aspect of undertaking a PhD for students. This suggests that students and supervisors need to be cognisant about matching the potential supervisor's expertise with a students' proposed study.
A good match between
Limitations
It is noted that there are several limitations of this study, as the understanding of the experiences of nurses and midwives enrolled in a PhD are only from one University in Western Australia. However, the sample size indicates that the results are possibly representative and may have generalisability in application to other University settings, therefore, further research is recommended to build on the body of knowledge.
The researchers also acknowledge that there are limitations associated
Conclusion
Understanding what is happening at doctoral level education is important to the nursing and midwifery professions. There are many nurses and midwives undertaking PhDs worldwide, to assume academic positions, engage in leadership and policy making, enhance clinical teaching, and conduct research to transform clinical practice. The findings from this study identify the importance of matching students and supervisors with the appropriate clinical expertise and knowledge. This study also suggests
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