The integration of nursing and midwifery education within higher education: implications for teachers — a qualitative research study

This study was a qualitative narrative that reviewed the historical developments that led to the integration of nursing and midwifery education with higher education in the United Kingdom (UK). A sample of teachers was investigated with particular reference to role conflicts they may have experienced as a result of integration. In addition to this the views of established academic university staff were assessed. The methodology adopted for the research was an eclectic qualitative one, drawing on several approaches, and sought to enquire into individuals personal perception of these events. In this paper the progression of events, nationally and locally, that led to the educational reforms in nursing and midwifery in the 1990s are examined. This narration includes a brief history of the creation of a new university department. Following this there is detail of how data were collected and analysed from a teacher population within this new department. The findings, whilst difficult to generalize to the wider population of nurse and midwife teachers, demonstrate that the sample of teachers examined, all of whom have been involved in the process of integration, have been exposed to stress that has resulted in role conflict. Established university staff, however, were more objective, expressing some broad anxieties regarding the resource demands and research capability of the new department.