Nursing deans peak body on what education needs

Submissions to Steven Schwartz’s review of nursing education (CMM January 22) include a full and frank statement from the Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery.

Chair Tracey Moroney (Uni Wollongong) presents an expansive explanation of challenges in nursing ed including:

* “we are often required to comply with the standard university semesters, and this has impacted on the time students have to explore and develop understanding”

* “mandated content … can overwhelm the student learner and push them to adopt surface learning approaches. There are many content areas imposed on curriculum as discreet subjects, and this together with developing students’ literacy and numeracy skills can be a challenge to deliver.”

* graduate nurse programmes, skills and knowledge are sometimes “re-taught”. Nursing education in health services does not appear to adequately springboard from what is undertaken in Bachelor of Nursing programs.

* “The ever-growing cost and price variations (range from $50-$150 per student per day) of clinical placement is placing considerable pressure on universities.”


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