Australian society is a vibrant mix of people from a most varied range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The scale of the place; its beaches; the vast deserts; the huge blue sky; the spectacular storms, are the physical embodiments of a country that is open to the world and an exciting place to be, to learn and to study.

Nurse education at graduate level is provided by universities in a variety of modes; to full-time students; by part-time study; by distance education without requiring frequent attendance on a campus; and to nurses in remote areas who have not other opportunities of continuing their professional education.

Building on a strong tradition of excellence in nursing education and scholarship drawn initially from Great Britain and in more recent decades from North America, Australian nurses are rapidly developing a reputation for speaking with a fresh voice. Many of the Australian nursing faculties and departments, she said, can now boast internationally recognised scholars, whose ideas are contributing to the development of nursing knowledge and strong programs of graduate education.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery has provided the various professional State Boards and Councils with insight into the scope of contemporary nursing practice and professional boundaries in practice. Government bodies have funded research by the University of Newcastle, School of Nursing and Midwifery into competency standards for advanced practice and an analysis of the experience of beginning nurses during their transition to the workforce.

While research is clearly the cornerstone of graduate nursing education, nursing programs in Australia tend to offer a wide range of courses, from clinically focused Graduate Certificates and Diplomas to Professional Doctorates and PhDs. The coursework components emphasise development and application of up-to-date clinical skills and knowledge, with increasing attention being paid to evidence based practice. Within research higher degree courses the emphasis is on development of strong methodological expertise as well as scholarly writing.

An important field of action for the schools and faculties is provision of nurse education at university level to nursing students overseas. In Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Pacific nations there are now hundreds of indigenous nurses who have Australian qualifications.

The Council of Deans of Nursing and Midwifery (Australia & New Zealand) expects all these activities to intensify. As nursing becomes more complex and advanced, so will the initial professional preparation of nurses. Specialisms will increase in sophistication and in number; this will lead to greater demands for postgraduate courses. As communication technology develops further, the opportunities for provision of courses away from campuses and into remote areas will increase and become more effective. Research into nursing issues will grow in quantity and depth; every expansion of knowledge enlarges the perimeter of the known, the extent of the unknown and the need for further insights.

The provision of nurse education beyond Australia's shores will continue as long as other countries feel the need for it and Australia retains and increases its reputation for nursing of the highest quality - a reputation which depends not only on professional knowledge and formal education but also on the personal attributes of the nurses. An area which needs to expand in Australia, and which the Council is committed to expanding, is the education of nurses to work with the variety of cultures in this country, not simply within the majority culture.

 

Author:
Margaret McMillan
BA, M Curr St(Hons), Dip N Ed PhD, FCN, FCNA, RN
Dean, Faculty of Nursing
The University of Newcastle