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Nursing Praxis in New Zealand
Vol. 14 No. 2 - July 1999
EDITORIAL
Abstracts of Articles published in this volume:
Richard Lakeman
Advanced nursing practice: Experience, education and something else
Sandra Richardson
Emergency departments and the inappropriate attender - is it time for a reconceptualisation of the role of primary care in emergency facilities?
Rosemary Thompson & Tony Farrow
The Workbook Portfolio:Facilitating undergraduate student learning in the mental health clinical area
Jackie Walker & Suzi Bailey
The clinical performance of new degree graduates
Abstracts of Articles published in this volume:
Advanced nursing practice: Experience, education and something else
Richard Lakeman, RCpN, DipNsg, Dip (Herbal Studies), BN
Nursing Lecturer, Eastern Institute of Technology, Taradale
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to stimulate discussion and debate about the ‘concept’ of ‘advanced practice’ and the wider issue of ‘advancing’ nursing practice. Defining, credentialling and regulating advanced practice promises rich fruits for nursing. Advancing nursing practice will be a consequence only if the right conditions are fostered for the development and provision of nursing expertise in practice. A conscious and collective effort must be made to ensure that the expertise of all nurses is recognised and developed. One process which has shown promise in psychiatric and mental health nursing is ‘clinical supervision’. Evolving nursing leadership roles and more education can provide only a partial solution to the problem of advanced and advancing practice.
Key Words:
Advanced practice, Clinical Supervision, Expertise, Reflective Practice
Article Order No: 142A
Emergency departments and the inappropriate attender - is it time for a reconceptualisation of the role of primary care in emergency facilities?
Sandra Richardson, BA, RGON, Dip.Soc.Sci., TNCC
Nurse Practitioner, Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department
Abstract:
The appropriateness of Emergency Department (ED) usage is often questioned, with recognition at an international level of the growing prevalence of ‘inappropriate attenders’. This term is used to describe individuals who present for treatment that could more appropriately be provided in the primary health care setting. This is an issue of concern for staff working in New Zealand Emergency Departments. The present article offers a review of currently identified issues concerning ED attendance, and examines the core question of the role of primary care in the Emergency Department. It asks whether this is an appropriate use of ED resources, and if so, what are the implications for the role of the emergency nurse?
Key Words:
emergency nursing, inappropriate attenders, primary care
Article Order No: 142B
The Workbook Portfolio:Facilitating undergraduate student learning in the mental health clinical area
Rosemary Thompson, RGON, ADN, BN
Clinical Co-ordinator Wesley Hospital. Former Nurse Lecturer, School of Nursing,
UNITEC Institute of Technology
Tony Farrow RCpN, BN, Dip. Health (Mental Health Nursing).
Nurse Lecturer, School of Nursing, UNITEC Institute of Technology
Abstract:
Undergraduate nursing students are confronted with a multitude of challenges during their mental health clinical placements. Many of the required skills are dissimilar to other areas of nursing and students must also develop the cognitive skills that influence the behavioural ones. However, mental health and mental health nursing are influenced and determined by a complex, and sometimes contradictory, range of external influences. Such ambiguity can be confusing for even the most experienced practitioner, let alone an undergraduate student. This article describes the use of a model that has been developed to assist the student in tackling such complex issues. The Workbook Portfolio has identifiable components that encourage the development of reflective and analytical skills. Our article explains the workings of this model in a fashion that allows other educators to utililise it to benefit students in the mental health setting.
Keywords:
Workbook portfolio, mental health nursing
Article Order No: 142C
The clinical performance of new degree graduates
Jackie Walker RCpN, BA, MEd
Suzi Bailey RCpN, BN
Nurse Educators, School of Nursing, Christchurch Polytechnic
Abstract
Since the transfer of nursing education from hospitals to tertiary institutions, debate regarding the competence of new graduates has continued. To date this issue has not been thoroughly researched. The lack of research related to the competence of degree graduates in New Zealand provided the impetus for this study, which was aimed toward identifying how graduates perceived their clinical performance during their first year of practice. A convenience sample of 30 graduates was surveyed after 3 months and 7 months in practice, using an adapted form of a questionnaire devised by Ryan and Hodson (1992). The results showed that over time, graduates generally required less direction in all areas of clinical competence. After 7 months
in practice, the majority of the graduates rated their performance in nursing skills, communication skills, and professionalism at the expected level or above. However, some still required direction with using theory and research in practice, with meeting client’s psychosocial needs and with teaching clients. In the leadership competency, after 7 months, most graduates saw themselves functioning at the expected level related to client care and needed less direction in unit management skills. However, many of the unit management skills were rated as ‘not applicable’ indicating that new graduates are not initially placed in a management role. Implications for nursing education and limitations of the research are discussed.
Keywords:
clinical competence, new graduate
Article Order No: 142D
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