Marie Heartfield

Mentoring for nurses in general practice: an Australian study

This paper presents findings from a project conducted to recommend a national framework for mentoring for general practice nurses in Australia. The first phase identified challenges and key issues; the second and third phases (reported here) engaged practice nurses and general medical practitioners in discussion to advance thinking on the topic. Outcomes revolved around seven core areas: role confusion and diversity of practice nursing; lack of a defined career pathway for practice nurses; professional isolation of practice nurses; need for general practitioner support; expectations of mentoring; importance of resourcing and infrastructure; and roles, skills and qualities of mentors. Implications of these for the development of a systemic approach to supporting nurses in general practice are discussed, taking into account the inter-professional context and special working relationship between nurses and doctors. Findings revealed keen support for the idea of mentoring for nurses in general practice and indicate success will depend on appropriate resourcing and infrastructure through national, state and local coordination processes.

Contemporary enrolled nursing practice: opportunities and issues.

Over the last decade, Australia, as with the rest of the developed world, has experienced a widespread labour market decline in the numbers of nurses in the health workforce. Concurrent with this nursing shortage, the second level nurse has, in many countries, ceased to be recognised as a legitimate nursing role. In Australia, recent research indicates that the enrolled nurse role, though contentious, is consolidating as a core component of the health care workforce. This paper reports on national research that examined the role and function of the enrolled nurse in Australia and reviewed the Australian Nursing Council Inc (ANCI) National Competency Standards for Enrolled Nurses. Specific issues related to the contemporary role and function of enrolled nurses, namely supervision, scope of practice and education, are also discussed.

Australian enrolled nurses have their say--Part 1: Teamwork and recognition.

Abstract Nurses are a cornerstone to the Australian health care workforce and are under increasing pressure to respond to changes in health care demands, the redistribution of health care funding and shortages in nursing workforce availability and skill mix. It is in this context that the role and function of the enrolled nurse has come under recent scrutiny. This paper reports on the qualitative semi-structured interviews conducted as one aspect of an Australia wide multi-phased investigation of enrolled nursing practice and competency standards for this practice. In the reported phase, enrolled nurses from a variety of settings and from all states and territories participated in telephone interviews exploring their experiences of practice and the role of the enrolled nurse. Findings indicated various enabling and limiting influences on enrolled nurse role and function. In this paper two core themes of teamwork and recognition are described as they illustrate the rich interpersonal rewards of enrolled nursing and the significance of recognition by others of the enrolled nurse contribution to health care delivery. These themes are presented as an introduction to part two of this paper which reports more broadly on the dimensions of the enrolled nurse scope of practice.

Australian enrolled nurses have their say – Part 2: Scope of practice

Abstract Determination of the scope of practice for enrolled nurses has been an ongoing issue in Australia, compounded by the existence of two regulated levels of nurse with often overlapping roles and functions. This paper explores enrolled nurse scope of practice, drawing on findings from national research that examined the role, function and competencies of the enrolled nurse. Enrolled nurses from a range of settings in all states and territories participated in telephone interviews exploring their experiences of practice and the role and function of the enrolled nurse. Findings indicated various influences on enrolled nurse role and function, including geographical location, organisational policy and management practices, registered and enrolled nurse relationships and lack of differentiation between registered and enrolled nurse roles. Following a previous paper exploring issues related to teamwork and recognition of enrolled nurses, these influences are discussed as they relate to enrolled nurse scope of practice. The role and usefulness of decision making frameworks in clarifying the scope of enrolled nurse practice are also explored.

Mentoring for nurses in general practice: national issues and challenges

This paper reports the findings of a research project designed to identify national issues impacting on the development of a mentoring framework for nurses in general practice in Australia. The project comprised the first phase of a three-phase study commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to develop a contemporary, flexible and sustainable mentoring framework that enhances the capacity of nurses to contribute to general practice outcomes. Key stakeholders and influential informants from around Australia were brought together via a national teleconference to identify issues surrounding the development of such a framework. Outcomes focussed on major themes concerning choice, relationships, structures and resources. Here, we consider the issues and challenges identified in light of some contemporary case studies from outside the field of nursing in the hope of sparking new ideas and strategies. A case study from an Australian practice nurse is included. No research has been conducted on mentoring for nurses in general practice in Australia to date, highlighting an urgent need for new models and their evaluation.