Nursing Education In Australia Research Articles

Informing the development of a fit-for-purpose mental health nursing curriculum: A survey of mental health nurse academics in Australia.

Inadequate mental health nursing content in pre-registration nursing curricula has been the topic of debate and concern since the introduction of comprehensive nursing education in Australia. Government-initiated inquiries and the efforts of mental health professional organizations and leaders have not successfully addressed this problem. The aim of the current study was to garner the perspectives and experiences of mental health nurse academics regarding the adequacy of mental health content in producing graduates able to work effectively in mental health settings and identify barriers and enablers to implementing and sustaining sufficient mental health content in pre-registration programs. A survey was distributed to mental health academics in Australian universities offering pre-registration nursing degrees. In total, 44 complete responses were included in the analysis. The results demonstrated the following: Most participants considered the current mental health content, theory and clinical hours insufficient to prepare graduates for practice in mental health settings. They reported a scarcity of tenured mental health nurse academics to deliver content effectively. Most participants were dissatisfied with the comprehensive approach to nurse education and preferred a double degree (nursing and mental health nursing), or a direct entry mental health nursing program. These findings provide further evidence for the current crisis in mental health nursing education and highlight the need for urgent action. People accessing health services have the right to receive high-quality care from appropriately qualified nurses. The inadequacy of mental health content in these programs effectively denies vulnerable people the standard of care and treatment they should be entitled to.

"Teaching Through Your Fingertips": A Descriptive Study to Understand the Experiences and Needs of Online Educators in Postgraduate Nursing Education in Australia.

Even before COVID-19, enrolments in online postgraduate nursing and midwifery courses were growing globally. Teaching into planned online courses requires pedagogical considerations unique to the context. The objective of this descriptive mixed methods study was to understand the experiences and needs of Australian online educators who taught into planned online postgraduate nursing or midwifery courses. A 55-item online survey captured the experiences and needs of participants. This paper reports on the analysis of participants' qualitative responses in this survey, analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Forty-nine postgraduate educators participated in this study. Five core themes were identified: time is precious; redefining the educator role; understanding the pedagogical shift; online and alone; and learning to teach online. Many educators report lacking the skills and confidence to deliver high-quality education to postgraduate students through their fingertips. This research highlighted that online educators need support through resources, education, and professional development.

“Eliminating the drudge work”: Campaigning for university-based nursing education in Australia, 1920-1935

At his death in 1945, Sir James William Barrett, a medical doctor in the state of Victoria left a bequest to the University of Melbourne, his alma mater. Barrett’s entire professional life was conducted at the University. According to his will, Barrett had been so influenced by his experiences of American universities which offered education in nursing that he directed a sum of money to the University of Melbourne for the foundation and/or development of a School of Nursing. The background to Barrett’s bequest is a complex episode in Australian nursing education history that has received little attention. In the 1920s and early 1930s, Barrett was a central actor in plans to develop a Diploma of Nursing to be conducted at the University of Melbourne. After ten years of sometimes vitriolic debate over the idea, defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory as support for the scheme fractured. This paper addresses the circumstances of the failed diploma program in Victoria. I account for its genesis, its rise, ultimate fall, and its legacy by examining the context for Barrett’s promotion of university-based education, identifying advocates and opponents of the diploma scheme, and assessing their respective motivations. Primary sources accessed include: records of nursing professional organisations in Australia and elsewhere, university and other institutional archives in Australia and the United States of America, newspapers, and papers of private individuals. A fresh analysis of this period demonstrates how Australian models compared with international schemes in the 1920s and 1930s, and reflects the challenges in developing nursing education. It underscores fundamental tensions over the essence of education in Australian nursing and highlights issues that remain perennial and helps to understand why the transfer of pre-registration nursing and midwifery in Australia from apprenticeship models to the higher education sector was so contested. Résumé À sa mort en 1945, Sir James William Barret, un médecin de l’État de Victoria, a laissé un héritage à la University of Melbourne, son alma mater. La totalité de sa vie professionnelle s’est déroulée à l’université. Selon son testament, Barrett a été tellement influencé par ses expériences dans les universités américaines qui offraient une formation en sciences infirmières qu’il a laissé une somme d’argent à la University of Melbourne pour la création et/ou le développement d’une école de sciences infirmières. Le contexte de son héritage est une période complexe peu connue de l’histoire de la formation en sciences infirmières en

Teaching science content in nursing programs in Australia: a cross-sectional survey of academics.

BackgroundProfessional nursing practice is informed by biological, social and behavioural sciences. In undergraduate pre-registration nursing programs, biological sciences typically include anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemistry, physics and pharmacology. The current gap in the literature results in a lack of information about the content and depth of biological sciences being taught in nursing curricula. The aim of this study was to establish what priority is given to the teaching of science topics in these programs in order to inform an understanding of the relative importance placed on this subject area in contemporary nursing education.MethodThis study employed a cross-sectional survey method. This paper reports on the first phase of a larger project examining science content in nursing programs. An existing questionnaire was modified and delivered online for completion by academics who teach science to nurses in these programs. This paper reports on the relative priority given by respondents to the teaching of 177 topics contained in the questionnaire.ResultsOf the relatively small population of academics who teach science to nursing students, thirty (n = 30) completed the survey. Findings indicate strong support for the teaching of science in these programs, with particular priority given to the basic concepts of bioscience and gross system anatomy. Of concern, most science subject areas outside of these domains were ranked as being of moderate or low priority.ConclusionWhile the small sample size limited the conclusions able to be drawn from this study, the findings supported previous studies that indicated inadequacies in the teaching of science content in nursing curricula. Nevertheless, these findings have raised questions about the current philosophy that underpins nursing education in Australia and whether existing practices are clearly focused on preparing students for the demands of contemporary nursing practice. Academics responsible for the design and implementation of nursing curricula are encouraged to review the content of current programs in light of the findings of this research.

The Views of Heads of Schools of Nursing about Mental Health Nursing Content in Undergraduate Programs

Criticisms about the mental health nursing content of Bachelor of Nursing programs have been common since the introduction of comprehensive nursing education in Australia. Most criticism has come from the mental health nursing sector and the views of key stakeholders have not been systematically reported. Heads of Schools of Nursing have considerable influence over the content of nursing programs, and their perspectives must be part of ongoing discussions about the educational preparation of nurses. This article reports the findings of a qualitative exploratory study, involving in-depth interviews with Heads of Schools of Nursing from Queensland, Australia. Thematic data analysis revealed two main themes: Realising the Goal? and Influencing Factors. Overall, participants did not believe current programs were preparing graduates for beginning level practice in mental health settings. In particular, participants believed that the quality of mental health content was influenced by the overcrowded curriculum, the availability of quality clinical placements, the strength of the mental health team, and the degree of consumer focus. The findings suggest the current model of nursing education in Australia does not provide an adequate foundation for mental health nursing practice and alternative approaches should be pursued as a matter of urgency.

Challenges facing nursing education in Australia: two solutions

Background : Australia, like many other countries is facing a shortage of qualified nurse educators and this has potential to impact enormously on the quality of nurses working in health services. Methods : This paper discusses the findings of action research recently completed within a Queensland University, involving a range of nurse educators. Results: It explores some of the challenges to role satisfaction and suggests two strategies to build capacity, connection, satisfaction and productivity in Australian nurse educators, that may be relevant for international colleagues. Conclusions: The first solution is to establish a self-sustaining, solution-focused Community of Practice for nurse educators. The second solution is to disseminate an effective, easy to remember teaching framework that draws upon principles of Transformative learning, a pedagogy that is relevant for nurses, because they will need to work with vulnerable populations and graduates need to be equipped with skills, compassion and be committed to social action.

Appreciating history: The Australian experience of direct‐entry mental health nursing education in universities

More than two decades since the introduction of comprehensive nursing education in Australia, the controversy regarding the type of undergraduate education that would best serve the needs of the mental health nursing profession continues. The ensuing debate tends to be based on a comparison between the current model of comprehensive education in the universities and the specialist mental health nursing programs that previously operated within the hospital system. The previous existence of a tertiary-based direct-entry mental health nursing program in Victoria is generally not recognized. The paper provides a brief overview of mental health nursing education from a historical perspective emphasizing the period following the commencement of the transfer of the nursing education. Articulating the Victorian experience of specialist undergraduate mental health nursing education within universities is essential as discussions about the most appropriate educational preparation for mental health nursing continues.

Mapping Postgraduate Nurse Education in Australia 2001-2002

Workforce planning at a national level within nursing and midwifery has been largely fragmented and uncoordinated with health-care organisations, state health authorities, peak nursing organisations and the tertiary sector often engaging in independent decision making and planning. In order to gain an increased understanding of the complexity of contemporary nurse education and to quantify the number of graduates of nursing education courses into categories that are meaningful for workforce planning, the federal Department of Education, Science and Training commissioned a national study in 2002. The aim of this study was to map and quantify current and projected numbers of Australian domestic nursing postgraduate students within their respective specialisation according to each State/Territory. All Australian universities offering postgraduate courses in nursing were electronically surveyed (n = 30). Two non-university providers of postgraduate nursing education were also asked to participate, but only one responded. Data were gathered on the number of domestic postgraduate nursing students enrolled in 2002, the number of course completions in 2001 and projected completions for 2002. Of the 13 broad band specialty categories developed for the study, the specialties of Midwifery and High Dependency were dominant in both student enrolments and course completions, including projected completions. The range of specialties that were offered varied by State/Territory, as did the number and percentage of students enrolled, completing and projected to complete each specialty program. Generic courses (without listed specialisations) continue to complicate the process of attempting to tease out and quantify accurately the number of enrolled and completing postgraduate students according to area of specialty practice.

Developing an innovative undergraduate curriculum – responding to the 2002 National Review of Nursing Education in Australia

The Australian government responded to the recent global critical shortage of registered nurses by initiating a national review into nursing education. The 36 recommendatons of the review report published in 2002 supported one or more of three strategies: building a sustainable workforce throuh partnership; maximising health outcomes through quaality education; and capacity building. The review drew extensively on the international research literature, invited submissions, previous reviews and commissioned research. This paper articulates the key features of a new innovative undergraduate nursing curriculum that incorporates several of the recommendations of the national review, specifically a new approach in delivery of the clinical component of the curriculum. The curriculum model emerged from a strategically planned partnership between a university and heath care providers committed to improving graduate outcomes and transition into professional practice. The curriculum was implemented in 2004 in a Faculty of Health Sciences that had not previously offered nursing programs. It is anticipated that the newly implemented undergraduate nursing program, modelled on a clinical schools partnership approach, will graduate registered nurses able to face the challenges of a rapidly changing health sector. The objective of this paper is to describe the key features of the program and share new insights that might challenge traditional curriculum approaches in undergraduate nursing.

The scope of nursing in Australia: a snapshot of the challenges and skills needed.

Contemporary nursing is an increasingly complex concept encompassing and encapsulating wide variation under the broad rubric of the nursing work place. This paper reports on a study that was designed to contribute to understandings of nursing practice by describing what nurses in Australia are doing everyday in various practice and work settings, the type of skills they need, the challenges they face and the interactions nurses have with other health workers. Drawing on the research which informed the National Review of Nurse Education in Australia in 2001, the paper raises issues critical to the management of contemporary nursing practice. Flexible approaches both to the day-to-day management of nurses and nursing, and educational preparation in partnership with key stakeholders, are a necessity if management of nursing is to keep pace with constant change in health care systems as well as facilitating the attraction and retention of nurses in those systems.

ET Nursing Education in Australia

ET Nursing Education in Australia