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Aim: The aim of this scoping review is to synthesise current evidence around the clinical skill development of preregistration registered nurses (RNs) in Australia, United Kingdom (UK), Ireland, United States (US), Canada and New Zealand, to inform nurse education, policy and clinical practice. Background: Nursing is a practical profession, and registered nurses require specific skills, knowledge and attributes in order to care for patients safely. The context for health care delivery is shifting, and the education of nurses must adapt to effectively equip the registered nurse of the future. Design: A scoping review was conducted of clinical skill development in preregistration nurses. CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, Health Source (Nursing/Academic edition) and Scopus were searched. Included studies were primary Australian studies and international literature reviews, which focussed on preregistration nursing education. Papers were written in the English language and focussed on clinical skill development. Results were synthesised narratively. The review is reported here in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐analyses Scoping Review extension (PRISMA‐ScR) guidelines. Results: One hundred fifty‐five Australia studies and 89 international reviews were included in the review. Six key themes were identified, namely clinical skills, approaches to teaching and learning, interprofessional education, assessment of learning, clinical placement and simulation. Conclusion: There is substantial variation in strategies and programmes to facilitate clinical skill development both within Australia and internationally, indicating a genuine shift away from traditional didactic pedagogy. New graduate registered nurses were expected to be "work‐ready," albeit at a novice level, when they enter the workplace. Future research should consider measures of impact on actual clinical practice and focus on developing work‐ready graduates for the range of clinical settings in which they may practice. Educators, policymakers and educational institutions can use these findings to inform curriculum developments to ensure that clinical skill development is evidence‐based. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aims: To analyse published ranking tables on academics’ h‐index scores to establish whether male nursing academics are disproportionately represented in these tables compared with their representation across the whole profession. Background: Previous studies have identified a disproportionate representation of UK male nursing academics in publishing in comparison with their US counterparts. Design: Secondary statistical analysis, which involved comparative correlation of proportions. Methods: Four papers from the UK, Canada, and Australia containing h‐index ranking tables and published between 2010–2017, were reanalysed in June 2017 to identify authors’ sex. Pearson's chi‐squared test was applied to ascertain whether the number of men included in the tables was statistically proportionate to the number of men on the pertinent national professional register. Findings: There was a disproportionate number of men with high h‐index scores in the UK and Canadian data sets, compared with the proportion of men on the pertinent national registers. The number of men in the Australian data set was proportionate with the number of men on the nursing register. There were a disproportionate number of male professors in UK universities. Conclusion: The influence of men over nursing publishing in the UK and Canada outweighs their representation across the whole profession. Similarly, in the UK, men's representation in the professoriate is disproportionately great. However, the Australian results suggest that gender inequality is not inevitable and that it is possible to create more egalitarian nursing cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives This paper aims to investigate the transition experiences of students with previous nursing qualifications (nondegree qualifications) entering a nursing degree program. Background Nurses with professional nursing qualifications (nondegree) are an important pool of professionals to draw on to help address nursing shortages through providing alternative pathways to becoming registered nurses. However, research suggests this cohort need higher levels of support and intervention to be successful. Design An integrative review was conducted, guided by Whittemore and Knafl's framework. A comprehensive search was conducted and 14 studies were included in the review. Methods A five-stage approach was used to conduct the review: problem identification, literature search, data evaluation, data analysis and presentation of results. Constant comparative analysis was used to identify commonalities, differences and themes in the relevant literature. Results Themes emerged that suggested students struggled with academic and institutional challenges, becoming learners, managing conflicting demands of outside life, developing a student identity and experienced threat to their sense of professional identity. Additionally, the cohort did not view themselves as 'the same' as traditional students. Holland's framework provides a useful framework from which to conceptualise these students' experiences. Conclusion There are challenges for this cohort of students as they transition into degree level study. Supportive activities that extend and further develop students' personality orientations may be a useful starting point in addressing some of the challenges and providing a more positive transition to university. Relevance to clinical practice The demand for health care is growing and there remains a shortfall of registered nurses. Nurses with professional qualifications (nondegree) are an important pool of professionals from which to increase registered nurse numbers and address workforce sustainability issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

hoare k.j., mills j. & francis k. (2011) The role of government policy in supporting nurse-led care in general practice in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia: an adapted realist review. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(5), 963-980. Abstract Aim. This article is a report on a review that examined the role of Government policy in primary care and its association with nurse-led care in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia between 1998 and 2009. Background. The United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia share a similar model of first point access to the healthcare system via general practitioners. General practice is synonymous with the term primary care. Data sources. Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, Scopus, PsychInfo, Google, Department of Health, England (United Kingdom), Ministry of Health, New Zealand, Department of Health and Ageing, Australia. Searches of electronic databases from 1998 to December 2009 and hand searches of identified leads and key journals. Historical papers accessed to describe the genesis of practice nursing and historical Government policy documents prior to 1998, were examined. Review methods. A modified realist review was used to synthesize research and policy documents relating to government policies pertaining to nurse-led care. In addition, a systematic review was used to identify literature that described practice nurse-led care. Results. Nurse-led primary care services are well described in the United Kingdom with a total of 45 studies meeting the inclusion criteria for the second review. There are no published studies from New Zealand, and only two from Australia describing nurse-led primary care. Conclusion. New Zealand and Australia lag behind the United Kingdom in practice nurse development. Implementation of clinical governance was fundamental to the development of nurse-led care in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]