How nurses in hospital in Vietnam learn to improve their own nursing competency: An ethnographic study

6^th World Nursing and Healthcare Conference

August 15-17, 2016 London, UK

Do Thi Ha and Khanitta Nuntaboot

Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Vietnam
Khon Kaen University, Thailand

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Background: Competency of nurses is vital to safe nursing practice as well as essential component to drive quality of nursing services. There exists little up to date information concerning how nurses employing in hospital context, in Vietnam, learn to improve their own nursing competency. Objectives: To investigate the ways Vietnamese nurses practicing in clinical settings had learned to improve their own nursing competency. Methods: A qualitative study and ethnographic method, comprised of participant-observation, in-depth interview, and focus group discussion with multidisciplinary groups of nurses employing in Cho Ray hospital, managers/administrators, nurse teachers, medical doctors, other health care professionals, patients and family members which derived from purposeful sampling technique. Content analysis was used for data analysis. Findings: The two essential ways of learing in order to develop nursing competency among nurses were identified through data collection in this study, including formal and informal learning. Nurses have received their formal training in nursing education programs in nursing schools after graduation to upgrade their nursing professonal level was identified as formal learning. Informal learning included continuing nursing education, learning from working experience, learning from daily reflective process, and coaching and mentoring. Conclusions: The findings from this study provide valuable information and understanding of the ways Vietnamese nurses working in hospital context have learned to improve individual competency. It would assist to establish an effective and appropriate strategy in an effort of enhancing nursing competency among nurses in Vietnam.

Biography :

Do Thi Ha completed her secondary nursing (1992) and BN (2005) from Ho Chi Minh University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam, MNS from Burapha University (2012) and PhD in Nursing Qualification (2014) from Khonkaen University. She is carrying an experience of 14 years as a Nurse in hospital and 8 years as a nurse Lecturer in the university. She is the Vice-Head of the Community Health Nursing Department. Her research has been published in international journal. As one of the Vietnamese pioneers conduct research concerning nursing competency development in Vietnam, she desires to improve nursing competency as well as quality of nursing care in Vietnam.

Email: dohapnt@gmail.com