Education in critical care nursing: a new beginning

The movement of nurse education to the tertiary sector is all but complete in Australia. Trends are changing as new partnerships are being forged and the focus of education is now reponsive to economic and political factors. These factors have resulted in the regionalisation of health care facilities and the de-institutionalisation of health services in Queensland. Moreover, de-institutionalisation of services coupled with economic rationalism has pre-empted the offering of post-graduate clinical courses by university nursing faculties. This paper addresses the process of developing the content of new courses under the umbrella of the Graduate Diploma/Masters in Critical Care Nursing offered at Griffith University Gold Coast. This initiative is the first in Queensland and has provided new vision in education for critical care nursing. This course includes a tapestry of theoretical knowledge enhancing clinical and factual subjects presented by experienced clinicians teaching with academics. The collaborative nature of nursing practice is reflected in academics and clinicians working jointly in course development, teaching and clinical placement. Strategies which were developed collaboratively addressed course content including logistics, time management, the critical selective selection of appropriate content, assessment critera, 'registerbility' within Queensland and other states, and clinical competence will be addressed. Moreover, this process of developing the course content utilised Australian National Registering Authority (ANRAC 1990) Competencies and Benners' (1984) use of the Dreyfus model to guide the expected knowledge level of the clinician at course completion. In particular this paper will not only address the blending of theory and practice to consolidate the relationship inherent between the clinician and education, but will establish the fact that no gap exists.