title: Ready for practice: what child and family health nurses say about education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Australia has a well-established universal child and family health service predominately staffed by specialist/qualified child and family health nurses. Two common and interrelated concerns are the need for nurses to be ready for practice after completing a nursing education program and the means to ensure ongoing nursing competence.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the readiness of CFH nurses to practise after qualification and their continuing engagement with learning.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study used an interpretive descriptive approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper presents data from four questions from a larger survey of child and family health nurses across Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  1098 child and family health nurses responded to the survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative survey responses from the four education questions were analysed using inductive thematic content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five significant themes were identified: hands-on experience (student clinical practice/placement); drawing on prior experience; learning on the job; learning (learning over time); and barriers to learning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper provides insights into nurses' readiness for practice at the completion of a postgraduate child and family health nursing qualification and their maintenance of competence and specialist knowledge. It highlights: the need for clinical placement to be retained and enhanced; the significant contribution of more experienced child and family health nurses mentoring newly graduated child and family health nurses; the need for minimum education standards; the importance of reviewing education courses in relation to graduates' readiness for child and family health nursing practice; the importance of supporting ongoing professional development; and the removal of barriers to accessing education opportunities.
authors.affiliation: University of Technology, Sydney and Tresillian Family Care Centres, PO Box 123 Broadway, NSW 2007 Australia. Electronic address: Cathrine.fowler@uts.edu.au.
authors.forename: Cathrine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751 Australia. Electronic address: V.Schmied@uws.edu.au.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Schmied
authors.affiliation: University of Western Sydney, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith NSW 2751 Australia. Electronic address: K.Psaila@uws.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Psaila
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 Australia. Electronic address: sue.kruske@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kruske
authors.affiliation: University of Technology, Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway Sydney, NSW 2007 Australia. Electronic address: Christine.rossiter@uts.edu.au.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rossiter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D000067576:Child Health; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D022143:Family Nursing / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000193:education*; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Child health nurses; Clinical education; Continuing education; Professional development