Developing expertise - the contribution of paediatric accident and emergency nurses to the care of children,and the implications for their continuing professional development

AIM: The purpose of this paper is to explore the contribution of paediatric accident and emergency nurses to the care of children. METHOD: Using a case study approach, the paper focuses on the experiences of three nurses working in this setting, obtained through working alongside the nurses and discussing and observing their experiences. FINDINGS: It became apparent that the nurses were regarded as "experts" in the care of children in this setting. The nurses themselves however, did not share this perception. Their experiences are analysed with reference to literature on expertise, focussing specifically on published accounts of children's nurses' experiences, and research which has explored the concept of expertise within the context of accident and emergency work. The implications for continuing professional development needs are discussed within the context of recent government reports, which make recommendations in respect of access and delivery of on-going professional education. To this end it is advocated that a multi-professional approach is adopted, with children's nurses sharing learning and thus access to, courses customarily provided to adults nurses working in this setting.