Nursing competences and basic education: descriptive study on new-graduate nurses

Abstract

The pressing need by the health organizations of new-graduate nurses immediately able to take full charge of the ward, together with the radical changes of nursing education, led the professional community to discuss the education of new-graduate nurses. To describe if new-graduate nurses at the Nursing Degree Course in Reggio Emilia, have the competences adequate to the demands of the health care organizations. Fifty ward Nursing Manager of a National health Service, where new-graduate nurses of the 2009-2010 academic year were emploied by at least one month were interviewed by phone. A list of 34 competences were identified and grouped into six skill areas (taking care, technical, managerial, communication, professional ethics, education and professional updating); for each, respondents had to rank the level of compentence on a Likert scale from 1 not able to 5 fully able. According to Nursing Managers new-graduate nurses are able to identify the patient care problems (mean score 4.1+0.8), to perform nursing techniques (mean score 4.4+0.7) and to meet the deadlines of the organizations (mean score 4.2+0.8). All Nursing Managers agree that new-graduate nurses have required skills and knowledge to work in their units. The level of expertise of by new-graduates in the areas investigated appears adequate to fulfill the role of nurse in health care organizations after a short period of coaching by a senior nurse.