Nurse education standards must be revised, review cautions

Interim findings from a UK-wide evaluation of nursing services have suggested that the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) set of standards are in need of updating.

The review highlights that nurses are facing significant challenges as they care for patients with complex conditions and are increasingly required to be team leaders. It proposes that in order to address this, current education standards must be refined and should ensure students are trained with higher level skills and competencies.

The review was led by Dame Jill Macleod Clark, a professor at the University of Southampton, and was recently published in NMC council papers. The findings showed that stakeholders, such as directors, frontline staff, academics and newly qualified nurses believed the standards were complex and resulted in variability.

They called upon standards to be made clearer and advised that the new capabilities include leadership skills and should differentiate what is required of a registered nurse in relation to other health and care staff.

Many stakeholders maintained that ‘unprecedented’ changes in health and care have taken place since 2010. They added: “Similarly, changes in skill mix, with growing numbers of unregistered carers and blurring of professional boundaries, are placing greater responsibility and accountability on the registered nurse for delegation, support and supervision.”

The report concluded: “The intelligence gathered to date supports the need to review the current standards for pre-registration.

“Whilst there are many examples of excellent education provision, there were also questions with respect to the consistency and clarity across the UK.

“Future standards with greater clarity, transparency and prescription of outcomes would provide a stable platform on which to build reliable and valid assessment.”