'Back to the bedside': graduate level education in critical care.

The need for post registration education for nurses practising at specialty level in critical care environments is widely acknowledged in nursing and educational literature. There is also clear consensus that the ultimate aim of educational preparation and practice development is to improve the delivery of nursing care to patients who are critically ill and provide support for their families. Yet the 'right' approach to educational delivery and evaluation is less clear and stimulates considerable debate amongst nursing educators, care providers, learners and regulatory bodies.

The meaning of effective education for critical care nursing practice: a thematic analysis.

Continuing education and practice development are integral components of specialist nursing practice in environments such as intensive and critical care. Previous studies have examined the 'effectiveness' of various approaches to teaching and learning in critical care, yet few have considered how effective education affects the relationship between education and practice development. Using thematic analysis, this study explored the phenomenon of effective education (for critical care nursing practice) by asking: What does effective education for critical care nursing practice mean to nurses currently practising in the specialty? Eighty eight critical care nurses from the South Island of New Zealand provided written descriptions of what effective education for critical care nursing practice meant to them.