Demographic questions and confirmation of consent.
*****
TA: Thank you very much. So, I just wondered, what kind of language do you use when you're thinking about Internet based learning? What would you call it?

P6: I think it's informative but time consuming.

TA: OK, so informative, but time consuming.  Can I just sort of go back a step? Would you call it e-learning or have you ever heard of the term? 

P6: Oh, e-learning.

TA: Yeah. Have you ever heard of the term open education resources at all?

P6: No. 

TA: OK.  I only ask because obviously that's the language I'm using in my PhD and most people so far haven't heard of it, so, it's quite an interesting point. OK, so can you tell me about how or why then, you've been directed to use e-learning in the past, in the context of your role? Perhaps if, if you done any as an advanced practitioner, a nurse practitioner in particular, that would probably be more relevant.

P6: Well, I was working, or am working in a [clinical speciality], for [employing organisation], and to keep myself updated, I'm, was logged on to their online learning, e-learning, which was called [learning system name]. 

TA: Okay.

P6: And so, there was regular updates that needed to be done on [learning system name] and we were advised by our manager of when these should be, either 6 monthly, yearly or three yearly.

TA: OK. And what sort of things were you doing on that e-learning? What, what was the content? 

P6: We were doing basic BLS, plus we also had BLS in the [clinical setting]. We were doing anaphylaxis. We were doing injections and flu injections, COVID injections. Actually everything was on there.  Children's safeguarding, adult safeguarding. Counter fraud, consent. Chaperoning. And it goes on! 

TA: Okay.  That sounds like quite a lot. Was that in the context of COVID at all or was that just in your general role?

P6: No.  That was in the general role since, well, yeah, once they got onto [learning system name] then we all had to do it.

TA: Okay.  And did you feel all that, or how did you feel? Tell me a little bit about how you felt about all that learning being allocated to you?

P6: I thought some of it was very relevant and needed to be done.  I also, [clinical setting] being what it is, time was not given. So, you needed to update yourself regularly, in your own time?

TA: Okay. And, can you tell me a little bit more about that. How did that make you feel, having to do it in your own time? 

P6: A little bit annoyed because it was a recommendation that it, well there was no choice. It needed to be done and we were chased to make sure it was done. Especially as [governance organisation] might have come round and visited, and yet time was not allowed. So yes, I was a bit fed up with that, but also from a professional point of view, I understood that it needed to be done.

TA: Okay.  And, as a professional, how does that fit in, do you think with our role of accountability and everything else and being allocated the learning and being checked up on it and everything else? What do you think about that?

P6: That’s very difficult, because if it's done in your own time, some people may not want to do it.  But if you are an accountable person with the NMC, then you need to do it, so you, you are stuck in a hard place, really.  It needs to be done.  Professionally, it needs to be done. And do, do you need to chase that it's being done? I would say yes, but I also feel that time should have been allocated.

TA: Okay, that's interesting as well that you feel it should be chased and and checked. So, in terms of using the systems, then, when you went on to it, if you imagine the screen in front of you, how does it make you feel having that learning to do and how did you approach that learning.  You know, what did you work?  How did you work through the materials?

P6: I chose the shortest time first. So, if it said it it would take 15 minutes to complete then that would be the one I would start off, so I could get to know how the system worked. 

TA: Oh.

P6: And then I would progress, when I had time to do, to progress, and make sure it was done.

TA: Okay. Did you experience any technical glitches or anything like that or any problems? 

P6: No, it was very, very good. Very, very good. But the [learning system name], the only issue with it was that when I was also employed at [alternative Trust], and they also wanted to know what training we had done before. Originally, they accepted Blue Stream and then they didn't.

TA: Okay. 

P6: They wanted you to do their online training. 

TA: OK. So did you go ahead and have to do their online training? 

P6. Oh yeah.

TA: And how did that make you feel? 

P6: A bit annoyed, because I'd already done it.  But I suppose, it was easier because I had already done it, and it, it was different.  There were different questions being asked, from [clinical setting] to [clinical setting].

TA: Okay, alright, that, that's interesting.  Can you tell me about what you learnt then, as a result of using the e-learning? 

P6: I think it was a bit of a chore.  To learn, I used to cut and paste what they were actually telling you, so that I could then read it later, so I could then get on and do the test, with the notes, and it was done.  So, did I learn from it? Probably not at the time, no. But did I learn after it? Yes, because I had all the notes.

TA: Okay. And that worked for you, obviously.

P6: Yeah, that worked for me. The goal was get it done, please the manager, and then go back and look at what, what I'd actually done.

TA: Okay. And did you ever discuss any of that learning with your other fellow practitioners or anything like that? 

P6: Oh, yes, we all, we all did. Oh no. Have you got that to do? When are you going to do that? Have you done it? Yeah.

TA: Okay. And did, did you share any of that learning with them, the things that, would you ever have discussed or anything that kind of learning?

P6: I discussed it. I discussed it, but the questions were randomised anyway to get your certificate. So, it wasn't as though I could say, well question one is a and question b is c, because they're all randomised and there are different questions.

TA: Right. Okay. Now I know obviously you've been a practitioner, are a [academic role] as well, so you've got educational practice and you've been qualified some time. So, just thinking about how the differences in CPD now are to when you first qualified for instance, can you just tell me a little bit about what you think about having to do e-learning as part of your CPD?

P6: I don't mind doing, doing it as part of my CPD. I appreciate that it's difficult to get out of practice, to go and do CPD.  I miss going to do CPD, because I miss all the interactions and all the working. But it, it's it's a way of life, that there is no time for CPD. That sounds a bit dramatic, doesn't it? But yeah, there is time, but it's your, it's your time.

TA: Okay. That, that is a thing that keeps coming out about it being your own time.  You know, based on your discussions with your fellow practitioners and yourself, did you want to tell me any more about that?

P6: No, not really. It was. Have you done it? Yes, we have. Was it interesting? Some bits were very interesting and which we could have discussions about.  But as I say, I think the end goal was to get it done.

TA: Yeah. If you were to notice anything that you disagreed with or anything in the learning, have you ever experienced that, or anything like that?

P6: No, no.

TA: Okay, and have you ever used it in your practice as well, as an educator? 

P6: No.

TA: Okay.

P6: How do you mean, have I used it? Have I directed students to it? 

TA: Yes. Have you either directed students to it, or, or worked through some of it with students or discussed with students, some of the learning? 

P6: I did discuss the COVID pandemic, because there was a lot of online training to do for that. And when we had groups in, especially if they're working in primary care, because that seemed to be the main focus, we did discuss then have you done that on e-health and have you done that with the, the government website and how did you find the COVID training, and what about the Moderna, and what about this and what about that? And Oh my God, they keep changing everything. So yes, that that was a general discussion.

TA: Right, okay. Thank you.  Yeah. So, I think that's nearly the end of my questions actually. So, because it's all very straightforward, you've not had any glitches or anything else really, so. I’m just wondering if there's really anything else that you want to tell me about your experiences of using e-learning at all, as your, as your CPD, or any thoughts on the evidence that that you've used. How? I mean you said you've used some of it in your evidence for the revalidation.  How did you use that? Would you like to tell me some more about that?

P6: Well, what I always have done right from having the three-year revalidation is, I would put what it was, online learning, say safeguarding. Then I would, in the next column, write what I've learnt, no, the key points, what I've learned and applied to practice. So, I always wrote a little bit, I don't know about 100 words for each type of thing, and then if I wanted to go more in depth with that one, then I would do a proper reflection and then I would put it to what pillar it belongs to on the NMC. And how many hours? 

TA: Okay. 

P6: I know that when I've done revalidation with other nurses, they haven't done it like that, because they say, well, why have you done so much writing about it? I said, well, because I want to go back to remember what I've done. So, yeah.

TA: Yeah, so inevitably you'll have much more hours of evidence, won't you, than you need for the NMC.

P6: Ohh yes, ohh God, hours, hours and hours. 

TA: Yeah, but at least you can go back. How did your employers check up on the completion of learning?

P6: What we’ve done?  Well, when we’ve finished it, we had to go and tell the practise manager that it had been done, and show the certificate, and they put the certificate in our files.

TA: So, you're still relying on printed out certificates then obviously.

P6: They were, yes, yes, yes, in the file.

TA: Okay, alright. And do you find that's a system that works for you anyway, or?

P6: Well, it works because then every year of the appraisal, my file was popped out, and there was all the certificates.

TA: Okay. That's interesting in terms of accountability, isn't it?  Because obviously we have this aspect of accountability that we are... trusted, if you like, to do our CPD and to be up to date with the roles that we're doing, but there's still this need for certificate evidence.

P6: Yes, yes.

TA: Which is just, you know, an interesting insight really, I suppose. Okay, so is, is there anything else that you want to tell me about, thoughts about e-learning or anything, as CPD?

P6: No, no, I, I think it's the way of the world. It has to be done this way. You very rarely go on a training day, or a CPD update in works time.  It is now all online learning. 

TA: Okay. Thank you


