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  • Professional competence

Professional competence

This research area examines the impact of learning, teaching and assessing in a wide range of contexts and areas of professional health care practice. It seeks to determine how individuals can acquire sufficient capability to function competently, as a professional, or as a lay person with sufficient levels of safety and understanding to self-care.

We are interested in methodological issues that help to illuminate decision making processes, to build theory, that of themselves may serve as an educative opportunity. Reflecting on the acquisition of competence and professional decisions during the research process has been shown to enable practitioners to make sense of their learning and the theoretical values that underpin their service. The research aims to make a difference to patients and their relatives and the professionals who care for them.

Research themes

Within the professional competence research area there are several themes:

  • The Art and Science of Care
  • Critical and Acute Care Practice
  • Learning through Simulation,
  • Decision Making in emergency situations
  • Grounded Theory

The research area covers the research of staff and doctoral students with an interest in acute and critical care practice. As such the area fosters research into how practitioners acquire expertise from clinical practice and for clinical practice. The research has a specific interest to illuminate salient decision making to provide intentional therapeutic interventions. How to involve patients and the public in shaping the competencies of practitioners is a growing area of research. Research normally takes place in the real world of clinical practice but essentially on occasion, simulated clinical environments.

This area provides a forum for discussion of research activities, for sharing expertise in methods and research approaches in particular second generation grounded theory, classic grounded theory or Dimensional Analysis. It has links with clinicians from local Trusts and other academics at the University of Brighton and has strong collaborative partnerships with colleagues in the Universities of Plymouth, Monash, and La Trobe Universities (Australia).

The profile of the area includes practitioners of all disciplines with an interest in the field of acute and critical care practice. They collaborate with staff from other parts of the university, e.g. Brighton and Sussex Medical School, colleagues from the Brighton Centre for Regenerative Medicine and with acute and critical care clinicians and leading academics.

The group holds critical fora to help focus research bids and hosts a special interest group in grounded theory that meets at least three times a year inviting eminent guests, including Barney Glaser. We value all research that aims to make a difference to the patient’s experience in acute and critical care situations and researchers who hold a passion to share ideas and knowledge to enhance professional care and competence.

Critical and acute care practice

A body of work that helps to inform the practice of health care professionals working in the acute care sector in the NHS and practice sector. This includes research on decision making in nursing, midwifery, and medical education and focuses upon enhancing the skills of practitioners working with patients who are acutely sick and suffering from physiological and psychological ill health that require immediate intervention. 

Learning through simulation

Learning through simulation is the title given to research work that is undertaken in or about simulation. The research strategies often, but not always explore the process of learning using the student’s reflective engagement, by watching their own performance on video, talking about their experience in simulation and sharing insights into their own capabilities. These approaches have shaped the way in which we use simulation as a teaching and learning method and to enable practitioners patient deterioration in a timely fashion.

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