Here we go again!

Doesn't give a good report at all does it.

Is anybody listening? The only way this problem will be solved is for the powers that be to pay attention to opinions such as these and make a choice to bring back clinical practice to our nursing education programmes.

If this is the article written by an OU tutor, one would think she should be attempting to change practice by influencing her students. Instead, lets bash the whole profession?!!

As an aside, last week I attended a yearly update to stay on the live register of Trust mentors. I and others expressed our concern that 3rd year students cannot insert nasogastric tubes, urinary catheters etc. (We only get 3rd year students in our ICU and HDU).

We were told that the students are more focused on management...because in the future there will be a thin layer of RNs supported by levels 1 to 4 of health care support workers. Really? So how exactly will these future RNs support and supervise the HCSWs if they cannot perform what are essentially 'basic' nursing activities?

So the point I am making is that tutors should look to their own teaching practice and ensure that it is spot on and that they are producing RNs fit for practice, preferably before they turn their gaze to the rest of the profession. Of course nursing tutors as a whole should not be judged by the action of these individuals.

NOT go to the press and bring the profession into disrepute.

I agree why go to the press, How can they say the students are working towards management where are the RN's going to come from that man the wards? They need a good baseline of skills and I am sure things can change in the universities to give this. I trained back in 86 but even today I can remember 2-3 of my tutors and remember the skills they taught me as a student

i'm not sure if training is the reason. whilst a student i tried to acquire as many clinical skills as possible as a staff nurse i feel the same but differnt. what wasn't taught to me and i'm trying to learn is how to laed and manage. how to balance what i can do and what i can delegate and to whom. Oh i work on a ortho/cote rehab ward were pataintes are varing levles of needs were i have to balance giving hands on care with intreputions from social workser etc or trying to get medical cover.
ans truely good support workers can make or break a shift.

except of course that UK student nurses have to complete and pass practice outcomes for 2300 hours of clinical practice as well as 2300 hours of classroom learning becasue of the way UK and EU law is structured with regard to nurse registration.

2300/ 37.5 = 61 .3 weeks of clinical placements as a bare minimum - i know we did more to give some slack for sickness and things like exams falling during placement...

some valid points but dressed up in typical Daily Hate stylre, i'm suprised there wasn't the usual Clare Rayner soundbite where she waxs lyricla aobut what is wrong with nursing despite not having been on the register for many years ( 40 + IIRC)

perhaps we ought to be asking zanuliarbour about 'turnaround' programmes and balancing the books and how this has weakened the care we can deliver

Blaming modern training is just blaming Nurses and Nursing again. Let's look at the target led culture, let's look at emphasis on quantative versus qualitative data, let's look at the role of the modern Nurse and how we are expected to lead Doctors. We are trained to be independent thinkers, but that is useless in the current environment which is geared towards a routinised, task driven and punitive working environment which leaves no time for patient care.