EDITORIAL Vol. 14 No. 2 - July 1999

As another century and the new millennium approach we are experiencing a
time of both rapid change and exciting nursing development. I believe nursing
as a profession has come of age and that the impetus for major transformation is increasing. Professor Sarah Sheets Cook, in the March 1999 Praxis Editorial, commented that “New Zealand nursing and nurses are well on their way to making advanced nursing practice a reality” (1999, p.2). This achievement was made more evident by the launch, two months later, of the Nursing Council of New Zealand’s framework (1999a) and handbook (1999b) for post-registration nursing education. Here at last are definitive statements from our governing body.
These statements provide direction, purpose and some national standardisation for educational development of the registered nurse workforce. Furthermore, they establish the processes which provide nurses with options for choosing an educational pathway that is tailored to their individual professional needs. Shortly after, in May 1999, the Clinical Training Agency Steering Group on Nursing has distributed a consultation paper on future funding for postregistration clinical nursing education. This document invited nurses to consider seriously various proposals for managing the first year of practice and entry to specialty practice. I believe that the possible introduction of nationally funded entry to specialty practice programmes will better enable new nursing graduates to make the transition from student to fully contributing member of the health care team.
However, professional growth and maturity need to be tempered with caution. In June this year I was fortunate to attend the Pre-ICN conference “Ethical Partnerships”, held at the University of Surrey in England. Attended by over 70 nurses from 15 countries, the range of papers proved diverse, yet with hauntingly familiar themes; issues relating to ethical partnerships between
nurses and doctors, nurses and patients, and the interprofessional team. In light of the moves within New Zealand towards attaining greater professional
autonomy and accountability I was left with a number of questions. In our eagerness to prove our professional competence and worth, are we remembering to be true to our partnership duty with our clients and communities? How do we better forge strong working relationships with our colleagues from other disciplines in order to meet the diverse health needs evident today? It is my contention that these questions should be foremost in our minds as we, the practitioners and educators, together construct the clinical education of the future.
So, this is where I mount my soapbox. The one partnership that is seriously threatened at present is that between nurse educators employed by different institutions. The free-market policies which are now firmly in place have effectively curtailed academic collaboration. The need to maintain competitive edge, and the constant threat of commercial sensitivity, largely preclude sharing of educational expertise or innovation. Rather than questioning whether it is possible to establish ethical partnerships within this sector, the challenge is for us to find some way to make happen what we believe would best achieve our common goals – to find a path that allows for joint development and delivery of programmes without posing a threat to any organisation’s viability. “Coming, ready or not!” may be the challenge thrown down to nurses by new
policies and directions. It is up to each of us to ensure that we are ‘ready’ and are able to add meaningful comment when consulted, and to challenge wisely
when not consulted. However, the most important thing may be for us to
grasp the myriad of opportunities to turn nursing into a catalyst for improved
health outcomes for New Zealanders. This will mean demonstrating the ethical maturity to maintain authentic relationships and partnerships with our client and community base, other health care providers, as well as with our own colleagues within the profession.

Janet Olliver
RGON, MA(Applied) (Nsg.)
Nursing Lecturer

References
Clinical Training Agency Steering Group on Nursing (1999, May). A position paper on the future CTA funding of postregistration clinical nursing education. Wellington: Author.

Nursing Council of New Zealand (1999a, May). Framework for postregistration nursing education. Wellington: Author.

Nursing Council of New Zealand (1999b, May). Handbook for postregistration nursing practice programme providers. Wellington: Author.

Sheets Cook, S. (1999). Editorial. Nursing Praxis in New Zealand, 14(1), 2-3.