The Unlearning Process in the Nursing Practice of Competent Nurses

Abstract

〔Aims〕The purpose of this study was to elucidate the unlearning process in the nursing practice of competent nurses.

〔Methods〕Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 nurses in their third year after graduation from a nursing university, and the data collected were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach.

〔Results〕The unlearning process in the nursing practice of competent nurses is a phenomenon wherein the nurses “begin to recognize that they are not novice nurses” and “reflect on the ways of their practice” based on their own unsuccessful experiences of approaching patients; then they “seek how to approach patients.” Thereby, they “try a new approach to break out of the current situation,” and when the patient responds as expected, the nurses begin to “embrace a sense of certainty regarding their perspective taking.” Finally, they recognize that their practice is changing, following which they take action to “apply their experience to the next step.”

〔Conclusions〕Competent nurses were found to have been unlearning their nursing practice through their interactions with others. The findings of this study suggest the need to offer support for competent nurses, by providing them not only with opportunities to reflect on their practice but also an environment within which they can observe the nursing practice of others.