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Background: Individuals 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. Methods: A 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. Results: More 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. Conclusions: There 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There 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. Methods: A qualitative consensus methodology was used in the form of a modified Delphi survey. Expert panels were used to review and validate data. Results: Consensus 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. Conclusions: The 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A 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. Methods: A 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. Results: Over 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. Conclusions: A 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]