Nurses', midwives' and health visitors' perceptions of the impact of higher education on professional practice.

AIM: This study examines the perceptions of qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors of the impact of higher education on professional practice.

METHODOLOGY: This is a qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. A non-probability convenience sample of 12 qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors who had enrolled upon a Master of Science programme in Professional Practice at a United Kingdom Higher Education Institution in the East Midlands were interviewed using semi-structured interviews, which were audio-taped and analysed using Colaizzi (1978) [Colaizzi, P., 1978. Psychological research as a phenomenologist views it. In: Valle, R., King, M., (Eds.), Existential Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology. Oxford University Press, New York, pp. 48-71] approach. Approval to undertake this study was received from the University's Research Ethics Committee.

RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the interview data. These were personal and professional motivation, workplace constraints, valuing "hands-on" nursing and client contact, and challenging and questioning practice. From the respondents' perspective, there was a strong view that higher education has a positive effect in practice, but a significant number of factors including time and support seemed to inhibit the possible benefits in practice. These are discussed in relation to the findings from similar studies.

CONCLUSION: This study has highlighted the need for further research to explore the impact of higher education on client care and service delivery.