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Celebrating 30 years of nursing education >
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Health Minister Annette King attended a dinner
and helped celebrate the 30th anniversary of the transfer of nursing
education from hospital-based apprenticeship to tertiary education.
It is a privilege and a pleasure to have been invited
to speak this evening to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the
transfer of nursing education from hospital-based apprenticeship
to tertiary education. I want to say thank you to Jan Pearson,
national co-ordinator for NETS, for giving me this opportunity
and for organising what promises to be an enjoyable evening.
Indeed, this significant milestone - 30 years since
the first two nursing programmes were delivered in tertiary education
institutions - is well and truly worth celebrating.
The nursing profession really has come a long way
in the last century, with plenty of protracted, hard campaigns
and battles being won to get to the point we are at today. I congratulate
everyone involved in the historic transformation of nursing education,
and I hope you all gain a great sense of satisfaction from this
evening.
As well as reflecting on past history, as I'm sure
many of you will tonight, it is also important to recognise both
the present and the future of nursing in New Zealand.
New Zealand is envied by many countries around
the world because of the quality of its nursing profession. Our
nurses are highly sought after internationally and other nations
look to nursing here as a benchmark. Today, all New Zealand nurses
enter the profession after completing a degree, while other countries
are still fighting for this as a standard. The profession should
be proud of itself for being a leader in an international context
and setting such a forward-thinking example.
I'm sure you will all agree that it is an exciting
time to be part of the nursing profession in New Zealand. The
last 10 years give a good illustration of how rapid change can
be. We have seen the introduction of nurse-led community services
and initiatives, the introduction and rapid growth of information
technology and its impact on the delivery of care to patients,
and the development of new medical technologies.
In terms of nursing education, I have been very
excited by recent developments. The Government's recent significant
investments in the primary health care nursing workforce include
awarding over 200 nurses studying primary health care nursing,
postgraduate scholarships for study.
These scholarships are one of the biggest separate
investments the Government has made in New Zealand nurses' education
since the 1980s. There was a great deal of interest in these scholarships,
which have so far proven successful in helping nurses develop
their skills and encourage workforce support and retention. The
process has also shown that educational institutes are increasingly
recognising the importance of primary health care programmes.
Recipients of another scholarship -- the Primary
Health Care Nurses (Rural) Scholarship -- were announced at the
end of last year. A one-off funding package of $240,000 was provided
to help specially selected rural nurses become nurse practitioners
with prescribing rights. This was very timely good news considering
the particular challenges facing nurses practicing in rural settings
who wish to progress to primary health care nurse practitioner
(rural) status.
Building on last year's good news, earlier today
my colleague and Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor announced
that a further six scholarships would be awarded in the 2005 academic
year, at a cost of $280,000.
The Government believes these scholarships are
an integral part of strengthening our invaluable rural health
team, and I can confirm that it has made a commitment to funding
them in future years also.
In keeping with the exciting developments of today,
I am also delighted to announce that a new postgraduate diploma
programme is about to begin. The Clinical Training Agency will
fund a rural primary health care programme for 40 rural nurses.
The Institute of Rural Health and the University of Auckland will
jointly offer the diploma, starting in July.
The CTA funding will assist with course fees, travel,
and replacement costs for the employer. These special arrangements
will help reduce the barriers to rural nurses gaining an advanced
qualification. One really important aspect of the programme is
that it acknowledges the important contribution of nurses in the
rural setting, now and into the future.
The introduction of the role of the Nurse Practitioner
in New Zealand's health sector is also a very significant and
exciting development. The role of Nurse Practitioner will allow
nurses to offer innovative ways of addressing health needs and
will include prescribing rights.
At this point I should tell you that on Monday,
Cabinet will approve broader prescribing rights for nurses under
the new prescriber guidelines.
I know that many of you have been anxiously awaiting
the publication of a report to the Ministry of Health from an
advisory group about future purchasing of post-entry clinical
nurse education programmes. I am told that this document will
shortly be published.
Within the Ministry, work continues on the issues
raised by the sector reference group. Funding arrangements for
post-entry nursing education will be part of a project being carried
out by the Ministry of Health and the Tertiary Education Commission.
In today's fast-developing and ever-changing world,
it is critical that nurses have access to ongoing educational
opportunities. In fact, ongoing education is an expectation of
the Health Practitioner Competency Assurance Act.
The nursing sector has been notable for its advocacy
of ongoing nursing education and professional development. It
is well recognised that nursing skill has an impact on the quality
of health and disability services. As this Government continues
to build a world-class health system, nurses play a crucial part
in carrying out our vision.
It is actually very timely to be celebrating 30
years of nursing education right now, just as the Government's
Tertiary Education Strategy is in the process of being implemented.
Key features of this strategy include:
· making the education sector more responsive
to the health and other sectors · ensuring that funds allocated
to tertiary education are used efficiently · promoting
excellence in research capability in tertiary institutions (this
has had much publicity in recent weeks as the first results of
the Performance Based Research Fund analysis have been published).
I'm sure you all realize that implementation of
all the initiatives could have implications for the education
and training of nurses. I understand that the Ministry of Health
is working with the Tertiary Education Commission to ensure that
health courses and health research are appropriately funded. I
urge you to participate in the consultation processes that the
Ministry will be putting in place on these issues.
One area I am particularly interested in is our
new graduate nurses. We have evidence that programmes to support
their first year of practice help to improve skills and confidence,
as well as recruitment and retention. Those providers who have
made programmes for first-year nurses a priority are to be congratulated.
If we want a sustainable nursing workforce, then naturally we
have to consider the needs of nurses at all stages of their career.
Of course, the nursing degree is just the start
of a lifelong journey. I want to acknowledge the many people who
have supported their fellow nurses in this journey, especially
those who serve as mentors and tutors, supervisors and lecturers.
In sharing their own knowledge, these senior nurses encourage
and inspire the next generations. They help ensure that the challenges
of nursing are balanced by the rewards of the role. Nursing leadership
takes place every day in our health services and in our classrooms,
and long may it continue.
Finally, I want to applaud all nurses who have
moved with the times -- reassessing and evolving their own roles,
adapting to these changes and incorporating them into their education
and practice to ensure quality health care is delivered to their
patients.
As well as celebrating 30 years of nursing education
in the tertiary sector, it is nice to also have the chance to
congratulate all nurses. I hope you thoroughly enjoy celebrating
the progress that has been made in nursing education. Thank you
again for inviting me to be part of this special evening.
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