RESEARCH PAPER THE EDUCATIONAL NEEDS OF NURSES WORKING IN AUSTRALIAN GENERAL PRACTICES Tessa Pascoe, MRCNA, RN, RM, BN, B.Community Ed, Former Lyndall Whitecross, MBBS, FRACGP, Grad.Dip Family Medicine, Policy Advisor, Nursing in General Practice Project, Royal GP Advisor, The Royal Australian College of General College of Nursing Australia, Canberra, Australia. Practitioners, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
[email protected]. Teri Snowdon, BA(Hons), BSW(Hons) NSW, ARMIT, Ronelle Hutchinson, PhD, BA (Hons), Former Policy Advisor, National Manager Quality Care and Research, The Royal Nursing in General Practice, The Royal Australian College of Australian College of General Practitioners, South Melbourne, General Practitioners, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Victoria, Australia. Elizabeth Foley, FRCNA, AFACHSE, RN, Med, Director, Nursing Accepted for publication August 2006 Policy and Strategic Developments, Royal College of Nursing ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Australia, Canberra, Australia. This study was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health Ian Watts, BSW, Dip Soc Plan, MBA (Exec,), National Manager and Ageing. GP Advocacy and Support, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, South Melbourne, Victoria, and Adjunct Senior Lecturer , Faculty of Medicine , University of Sydney, Australia. Key words: general practice, education, primary care, nursing education ABSTRACT Discussion: The education areas that were rated as important Objective: by a high number of the nurses appeared to relate To describe the educational needs of nurses directly to the activities nurses currently undertake in working in general medical practice in Australia. Australian general practice. Barriers to education may reflect the workforce characteristics of general Design: practice nurses and/or the capacity of general Survey research combining qualitative and practices to finance training for employees.