title: Australian rural remote registered nurses' experiences of learning to provide antenatal services in general practice: a pilot study.
abstract: This article reports on a pilot vocational study programme for provision of antenatal services in the general practice environment. The concurrent evaluation study assessed practice nurses' experiences of undertaking the pilot programme, the level and applicability of the content, and the mode of delivery. General practitioners' understanding of the role of the nurse in providing antenatal services, and the actual and potential impact of this new role on models of service delivery and care were also investigated. Women receiving care from practice nurses within this new model of service delivery and care were also of interest in this study. Findings showed that the current role of the general practice nurse in caring for pregnant women is restricted to assisting the general practitioner to complete their assessment of clients. Organizing clinical placement with a midwife was a major barrier to completing the pilot programme.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition, James Cook University, Cairns Campus, Smithfield, Queensland, Australia. jane.mills@jcu.edu.au
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Birks
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miles
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses; D010865:Pilot Projects; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D019035:Rural Health Services; D013192:Staff Development; D000078329:Workforce