title: The education of registered nurses for practice in paediatric intensive care units in Australia and New Zealand.
abstract: This article summarizes a report on the findings of a study of the education and training of registered nurses for practice in Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) in Australia and New Zealand. The study was funded by the Florence Nightingale Foundation and Sandra Charitable Trust, and was carried out in late 1997. One element of the study was the exploration of four Paediatric Intensive Care Courses in Australia and New Zealand. The study firstly identified that these courses appeared to be valued by the PICUs linked with the institutes providing the courses. Secondly, the providers of PIC courses had, in some cases, adopted flexible approaches to the course to accommodate PICU needs. Thirdly, the use of adult learning principles as an issue in nurse education was raised. Fourthly, the use of Problem Based Learning and a Case Study approach appeared to be of value. In terms of clinical practice, the issue of assessment of competence, and the importance of clear delineation of the roles and responsibilities of those involved were identified. Assessor preparation were also discussed. Many of these issues have relevance in England, particularly in view of the identified need for increased provision of PIC courses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery and Child Health, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Sheffield University, Yorkshire, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hewitt-Taylor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003422:Critical Care; D003479:Curriculum; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D009520:New Zealand; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000193:education*