Roy A Brown

What are the ‘necessary’ skills for a newly graduating RN? Results of an Australian survey

BackgroundThere appears to be a sense of disappointment with the product of contemporary nursing programs in Australia in that new graduate RNs are often referred to as not possessing appropriate skills by clinical colleagues. This work identifies the skills that the profession believes that newly graduating RN’s should possess at the point of registration.MethodsA qualitative consensus methodology was used in the form of a modified Delphi survey. Expert panels were used to review and validate data.ResultsConsensus was reached on the top 25 skills areas that can be reasonably expected of a new graduate Registered Nurse in Australia. The top ranked skills areas included efficient and effective communication, professional nursing behaviours, privacy and dignity and managing medication administration.ConclusionsThe consensus methodologies used to develop the skills areas indicated broad agreement across the profession in Australia. The complexity and context of practice was highlighted in the comments within the Delphi rounds. Interestingly no new skills were added and none removed from the initial list – some were prioritised over others but the majority agreed that all the skills areas were important for a newly graduating nurse.

The development of a model of education for casual academic staff who support nursing students in practice.

Nursing is predominantly a practice based profession where clinical placement for pre-registration nursing students is a significant component of their programme, as this is pivotal in achieving work readiness of the graduate registered nurse. It is therefore important to ensure nursing students have high quality clinical placements that are supervised by well-prepared experienced registered nurses. This paper discusses one component of the reconnaissance phase of a wider action research project being undertaken in a metropolitan university in NSW, Australia seeking to enhance the development and support of casual academic staff known as clinical supervisors who support students in clinical placement. The outcomes attributed to this project are the development of a participation model which has resulted in a collaborative partnership between the university and clinical supervisors and secondly, the embedding of solution focused ways of working and practice development into the program. The information from the reconnaissance phase of this project confirms the need for further research into the implementation of the participatory model to ensure that future education and support process are developed through collaboration.

Review of transnational nursing education programme curricula: process, findings, and recommendations

BACKGROUND The University of Wollongong (UOW) delivers two Transnational International Programmes (TNEP) in Hong Kong (HK): a 1-year undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing (Conversion) degree and a 2-year postgraduate Master of Nursing degree. A curriculum review of these programmes has been undertaken to ensure the quality of the programme remains consistently high and competitive in an international environment. AIM The aim of the Curriculum Review Project was to utilise the experience of expert academic staff to review the TNEP curricula delivered by an Australian University in Hong Kong (HK) to ensure it met contemporary needs of students, the university, and the Hong Kong Authority. METHODS The curriculum review projects followed a qualitative research methodology. Thematic analysis was undertaken utilising Braun and Clarkes six-phase method (2006), as this method facilitated an inductive semantic approach where themes are strongly linked to the data and sourced from the explicit meaning of the discourse within the interview (Braun and Clarke, 2006). RESULTS In total, there were 6 participants who were all permanent academic staff members within the School of Nursing at the UOW. The results of this project have been reported within a strengths, weaknesses, opportunity, and threats (SWOT) framework. Participants recognised the value and challenges to both individual students and the broader nursing profession in HK. Overall, there was a perception that being involved as an academic staff member in a TNEP developed both their subject knowledge and teaching skills. CONCLUSIONS This project has demonstrated that the TNEP makes an important contribution to the nursing profession in HK, while also facilitating the growth and development of academic staff at UOW.

What level of competency do experienced nurses expect from a newly graduated registered nurse? Results of an Australian modified Delphi study

BackgroundIndividuals who have recently completed accredited courses and are eligible to register as a nurse in Australia are often referred to as not being ‘work-ready’ by clinically based colleagues. This project identified the level of competence that can be reasonably expected of a newly registered nurse (RN) graduating in Australia. The research was undertaken using the necessary skills identified by Crookes and Brown in 2010.MethodsA consensus methodology using a modified Delphi technique invited experienced nurses to identify the level of competency expected by the new RN in each of the skills areas.ResultsMore than half of respondents did not believe that new graduates could practice independently in 18 of the 30 skills areas. There were only four skills areas where more than two thirds of the respondents believed the new graduate could operate independently.ConclusionsThere is a lack of clarity about the level of competency of the newly graduating registered nurse in Australia. The profession and employers need clarity regarding the areas and level of competence that can reasonably be expected of a newly graduated RN. Utilising the findings of this research will enable the skills and competencies to be integrated into eligibility to practice programmes. Further research needs to be undertaken to review the foci of nursing preparation programmes to meet the needs of novice practitioners and the health care consumer population.

An audit of skills taught in registered nursing preparation programmes in Australia

BackgroundA competitive Carrick Institute Competitive Grant (CG7-523) was obtained to explore what skills were taught and what assessment of practice approaches were used in nursing programmes in Australia. The intention was twofold; firstly to identify what skills were being taught which would contribute to the development of an assessment of practice toolkit for eligibility to practice programmes in Australia. This paper specifically reports on the skills taught in nursing programmes in Australia.MethodsA qualitative research methodology was used through a documentary analysis of university curriculum documents. This was undertaken independently by two researchers; the data was then reviewed by an expert group. The skills taught were explored, listed and categorised using a conceptual framework, then refined and reported.ResultsOver 1300 skills were initially identified within nursing programmes across Australia; these were ‘clustered’ using a framework into 30 skills areas. These included psychomotor skills to skills areas that relate to human factors such as communication, team work, leadership and supervision.ConclusionsA wide range of skills were referred to in university nursing programme curriculae in Australia. There were some significant variations; some universities taught their student nurses how to manage a client/patient requiring external invasive ventilator support. There were however a number of similar skills areas identified; such as acute care assessment skills (monitoring vital signs) and mental health assessment skills. The range of skills taught within nursing curriculum is challenging as there is only limited time to expose students to those skills and afford the student the opportunity to practice those skills in order to achieve competence prior to registration.