LEARNING BY DOING. En kvalitativ studie om reflektion, intuition och praktisk kunskap hos kuratorer inom palliativ vård

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study has been to investigate the significance of practical knowledge in the patient-related work for Hospital Counsellors. We have also tried to establish what the practical learning process looks like. We have conducted a qualitative study consisting of seven semi-structured interviews with Hospital Counsellors working within a palliative care unit at two different hospitals in Re-gion Västra Götaland. The interviews have revolved around the Hospital Counsel-lors learning process, and how the Hospital Counsellors themselves reflect on their practical learning in the everyday work with patients and their loved ones. Our anal-ysis is centred on the learning process and how it is described, and the main com-ponents that are included in this process. We have been able to identify quite a few sources of knowledge in our empirical material and we have also been able to iden-tify several recurring influential factors in relation to the learning process. Our study has shown that there is extensive learning in the everyday work and that the practi-cal knowledge constitutes a predominant part of what we often refer to as gut feel-ing or intuition. By using reflection as a tool to enhance the development of practi-cal knowledge the Hospital Counsellors sharpen their professional skills together with their co-workers, to the benefit of the patients and their loved ones.