Perceptions of the clinical competence of newly registered nurses in the North West province.

ABSTRACT

The clinical competence of newly registered nurses relating to the care of individual Clients, depends on their ability to correlate theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom with practice and the development of clinical skills. Its foundation lies in the ability to identify and solve problems that emanate from critical thinking, analytical reasoning and reflective practice. It is clear that the quality of clinical exposure plays a leading role in the development of nursing professionals. Nursing skills alone cannot ensure quality care of clients without the application of theory. Facilitation of this theory to practice therefore remains an essential component of nursing education. This study was aimed at identifying areas of incompetence of newly registered nurses (1998--2001) in the clinical area by determining the newly registered nurses' and professional nurses' perceptions of the competence of the newly registered nurses. A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive survey was used to collect the data regarding the clinical competence of newly registered nurses (1998--2001). An in depth literature study was conducted to generate information that was used as basis for the study. For data collection two types of structured questionnaires were used to obtain information from the professional nurses and the newly registered nurses in identified hospitals in the North West Province. The professional nurses' sample consisted of (n=151) respondents and the newly registered nurses' sample of (n=67) respondents. An analysis of the data obtained from the study revealed that the shortage of staff, equipment and supplies negatively affect the competency of newly registered nurses. There is a discrepancy between what the newly registered nurses learned in the classroom and what they observe in the clinical area. Orientation programmes need to be reviewed and are often neglected due to staff shortages. Findings with regard to the newly registered nurses revealed that these nurses have sufficient theoretical knowledge but lack competency in basic nursing skills due to an inability to correlate theory to practice. Conclusions that can be drawn from this study are that there are many factors that impact negatively on the competency of the newly qualified nurses. These emanate from the clinical area, as well as during the education and development of newly registered nurses. Recommendations regarding the education and training of newly registered nurses and the clinical practice area have been made.