Teaching old dogs new tricks: A Paediatric Transition to Specialty Program (PTSP) for adult trained nurses in the intensive care unit

Abstract

Monash Medical Centre is a 21 bed mixed adult and paediatric unit in the South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne. The hospital caters for a wide range of specialties including cardiothoracic, neurosurgical, obstetrics, general adult and paediatric patients. The recent population growth has prompted the unit to upgrade and enhance the skills of the staff to accommodate the growing neds of the community. Skill mix has played a major role in the past as not all of nurses were trained to look after critically ill paediatric patients. The unit was already running a successful Adult Transition to Specialty Program (TSP) which added positively to skill mix and staff retention. With the pressing need of the unit to cope with the increasing numbers and acuity of paediatric patients that needed ICU management, a PTSP was launched. As a result, there are an increasing number of adult trained nurses who are now clinically competent with complex paediatric patients. The PTSP has created a positive result in terms of both skill and confidence amongst adult trained nurses in the ICU.