Scholarly critiqueGraduate registered nurse practice readiness in the Australian context: An issue worthy of discussion
Section snippets
Background
The combined impact of a predicted nursing workforce shortage and the growing health care demands of an ageing Australian population ‘who will consume larger numbers of healthcare services, compounded by … an increasing prevalence of chronic conditions’ pose significant challenges for Australian authorities (Health Workforce Australia [HWA], 2012, p. 35). Consequent to these challenges, the Australian health system is undergoing reform with the Commonwealth Government signing a national health
History of nurse education in Australia
Prior to the mid 1980s Australian nurses ‘trained’ within hospitals in apprenticeship style programmes (McGrath ‘et al.’, 2006). In this preparatory model, the needs of the training hospital took precedence over the educational needs of students (Sellers & Deans, 1999). After decades of lobbying by Australian nurse leaders, the commonwealth government authorised the transfer of nurse education en masse from the health sector to the tertiary sector in 1985 (Sellers & Deans, 1999). Nurse
International trends regarding nurse education
The transfer of nursing education to the tertiary sector in Australia is consistent with international efforts to enhance the educational qualifications for RNs. Several North American and European studies, reports and position statements (CNA, 2004, Cowan et al., 2007, Lofmark et al., 2006, UKCC, 1986) have recognised that higher levels of education i.e. BN programmes, were regarded positively and were expected to deliver better nursing performance and improved levels of critical thinking and
The concept of practice readiness
Prior to transferring Australian nurse education to the tertiary sector, student nurses were recruited directly by hospitals where they usually resided (in nurse's quarters) and also undertook their training there in an apprenticeship model (Mannix et al., 2009). According to Mannix, Wilkes, and Luck (2009, p. 60), these student nurses ‘grew to know the ways and the idiosyncrasies of their training hospitals … and were accepted as being an integral part of hospital life and central to the
Discussion
As highlighted earlier, the literature is suggestive of a tension between industry and education providers with regard to GRNs’ practice readiness. Despite the fact that much research has been done in Australia since the transfer of nursing education to the tertiary sector regarding GRN transition and their preparedness for the challenges of the current healthcare system, to date, the transition process from student to RN role remains problematic.
Australian universities formulate their BN
Conclusion
What is known is that graduate RNs’ transition to practice remains problematic and a topic of much discourse. The literature suggests that there is a tension between health industry and education providers in Australia with regards to the expectation of graduate RNs’ practice readiness. The current forecasted nursing shortage, the challenges in accessing sufficient quality clinical placements and the need for fiscal responsibility highlight the significance of this debate. In the interest of
Conflict of interest
This discussion paper does not concern any commercial product, either directly or indirectly.
Sources of outside support for research
Nil.
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