Avondale to help implement national assessment tool for nurses
Avondale College of Higher Education is planning to implement a new national competency assessment tool to standardise clinically based learning for Bachelor of Nursing students.
Improving care: The standardisation of clinical learning should mean Avondale nursing students receive more meaningful feedback from supervisors. Colin Chuang
The tool is part of a project funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council to better enable newly registered nurses to “hit the ward running” in Australia’s care facilities and hospitals.
“[Some] more experienced nurses felt their newer colleagues were less well-prepared for the rigours of the busy clinical environments than they should be,” says Professor Patrick Crookes, one of the project team’s leaders who is also dean of the Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Wollongong.
Professor Crookes saw a link between this and the inconsistencies in assessment against competency standards across institutions—each of the 39 nursing programs in Australia uses its own clinical assessment tool. “What constitutes a competent graduate isn’t clearly agreed across the profession,” says Professor Crookes. “They must all have achieved competence against the professional standards but there is no clear articulation of what it is reasonable to expect in terms of a skill set.”
It is hoped the project will not only improve the quality of nursing care, but also help to retain graduate nurses in the profession.
“New nurses need to feel like they’re doing a good job,” says Professor Crookes. “If they’re clear about what’s expected of them, they can feel confident they’re doing that and will more likely stick at it. If [they] remain committed to the profession, this will ultimately improve outcomes for patients, too.”
Dr Paul Race presented a submission to the project team based on the clinically based learning experience offered by the Faculty of Nursing and Health at Avondale. He says providing clear expectations will benefit students and staff members. “It will improve the capability of staff in clinical areas, particularly in their supervision of students, which should mean students receive more meaningful feedback.”
The project team plans to trial the national competency assessment tool over the next 12 to 18 months.—with Brenton Stacey, public relations officer, Avondale College of Higher Education