Skill and lifelong learning: The link for quality nursing

Continuing capableness for Registered Nurses

Recently nursing and other regulated professions, the one and the other nationally and internationally, have been examining the regulatory character with respect to continuing ability In 1997 counterparts from nursing associations across Canada began examining the feasibility of developing a nationally coordinated approach to assuring continuing capableness for registered nurses.

The National Working assemblage on Continuing Competence for Registered nurtures was formed in October 1998 The Working Group's goal is to reach consensus upon recommendations for a framework and principles to guide jurisdictional exhibition of continuing competence programs for registered nourishs Objectives of this Working assemblage include identifying key assumptions and describing specific principles. Draft four of the Working Group's Beliefs & Guiding Principles are provided for your information.

Beliefs & Guiding Principles

Continuing suitableness

1. The nursing profession as a whole, from one side its professional and regulatory organizations, furthers the advancement of nursing practice, identifies standards of practice, and assists professional development.

2. Registered supply with nourishments are competent, self-regulating professionals and are committed to lifelong learning.

3 Continuing qualification is essential to professional nursing practice. It encourages good nursing practice, assists to intercept poor practice, and contributes to the quality of nursing practice and best possible client issues

4. Continuing competence is maintained and enhanced end reflective practice, lifelong learning, and integration of learning into nursing practice.

5 The individual registered nourish has the professional obligation and the primary responsibility for maintaining continuing suitableness

6. The responsibility for taking appropriate action to disclose and maintain competence is shared with others, including colleagues, employer professional and regulatory nursing organizations, and conduct

7. An individual's ability to maintain, enhance, or demonstrate fitness is influenced by the practice setting. Continuing capableness can be facilitated or hindered by means of the environment in which individuals practice.

8 Nursing colleagues, from one side their moral commitment to their profession and to individual another, support each other in demonstrating, developing, and maintaining capacity

Continuing Competence Programs

1 The public has the right to await that registered nurses demonstrate continuing capableness throughout their careers. The part of regulatory bodies is to establish mechanisms that encourage the delivery of safe, ethical and qualified care by registered nurses through every part of their careers.

2. A continuing fitness program is an essential support to registered supply with nourishments in their professional practice whether or not it is required by the agency of legislation.

3. The Standards of Nursing Practice and the collection of laws of Ethics for Registered supply with nourishments provide the foundation for continuing fitness programs.

4. Continuing ability programs should be:

administratively feasible, publicly credible, professionally supported, economically feasible, transparent and effective (have benefits that are apparent)

(Adapted from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc., 1997)

5 A continuing ability program must be flexible, applicable to practice in a variety of settings, provide members with a choice of options for demonstration of continuing suitableness and be clearly communicated to all stakeholders.

6 The confidentiality of information gathered for continuing fitness purposes will be safeguarded, leave out if public safety is in jeopardy.

7 Continuing capableness programs will be developed in a manner to encourage the mobility of registered supply with nourishments

The SRNA Competence Assurance Committee will be reviewing these beliefs and guiding principles within their mandate to disentangle a competence assurance program for registered supply with nourishments Comments may be directed to Joyce Butler via E-mail: jbutler@srna.org, by means of telephone: (306) 359-4235 or 1-800-667-9945 ext 235 or in writing.

Bibliography

Alberta Association of Registered supply with nourishments (1998,April). Final report: Project leading to a original for the monitoring of continued capacity Edmonton, AB: F. Picherack & Associates.

Canadian nourish registration/licensure endorsement document (Abridged Version). (1998 June) Ottawa, ON: Canadian nourishs Association.

Citizen Advocacy Center (1997 December 16-17) Continuing professional competence: Can we assure it? Proceedings of a Citizen Advocacy

Center discourse (pp. 16-17). Washington, DC: Author.

College of nourishs of Ontario. (1998). Growing quality in nursing: A guide to the quality assurance program. Toronto, ON: Author.

Fish, D (1991) on the contrary can you prove it? Quality assurance and the reflective practitioner. Assessment and Evaluation inHigherEducation, 16(1)22-36

Hodkinson, P (1992) Alternative designs of competence in vocational education and training. JFHE,16(2),30-39.

Inions, Noela J (1990) Privilege and quality assurance: The issues for Canadian hospitals(pp.185-194). Ottawa: Canadian Hospital Association Pres