Nicolene de Jager
University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Title: Strategies to facilitate professional development of the occupational health nurse in the occupational health setting
Biography
Biography: Nicolene de Jager
Abstract
The excessive workload of the Occupational Health Nurse (OHN) often cause that they cannot attend any training to keep up to date with the latest trends in occupational health. They feel unsure about their role, as they are under developed in their field and thus experience the need for further training and development. The purpose of the research undertaken was to determine the needs of the OHN in relation to professional development and to develop strategies in order to facilitate such development. A qualitative research design was used to determine the needs of OHNs in an occupational health setting in the Gauteng Central region. The results of this study revealed four major categories, namely constraints hindering the OHN in developing professionally, positive aspects identified by the OHNs regarding the need for professional development, the development needs of the OHN and suggestions of how to meet the these development needs. A conceptual framework was developed, from which the strategies for professional development were developed and validated. These validated strategies were unique in the context of Occupational Health Nursing as no such strategies were developed previously.