| A national advisory panel has recommended that at least two-thirds of the basic nurse workforce should hold a baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing by 2010 (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN] 2001). In theory, it seems reasonable that the nursing profession, as articulated by this advisory panel (AACN, 2001), recommends a baccalaureate-prepared nurse. But the evidence which supports baccalaureate nursing education has not been empirically established.; The purpose of this study was to describe ways in which novice nurses, 10--14 months post-B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) graduation, perceived that they initially learned and subsequently refined skills necessary to perform in their first nursing jobs.; The conceptual framework for this study was drawn from two sources: (1) The American Association of Colleges of Nursing: The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (The Essentials , 1998), and (2) Benner's (1982) research on the stages of nursing practice, an adaptation of the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition.; According to The Essentials (1998), B.S.N. programs provide five curricular components: liberal education, professional values, core competencies, core knowledge, and role development. The Core Competencies component of the B.S.N. curriculum was most relevant to the study. The Essentials (1998) lists these competencies as technical, assessment, communication, and critical thinking skills.; In sum, using these competencies, this study gathered information from novice nurses about (a) where they recalled learning specific skills in nursing school; (b) how they reported refining these skills learned in school, in their first nursing jobs; and (c) what their preferred exposure was, to such skills while in nursing school.; Four conclusions were derived from the study: (1) an expressed need for more clinical exposure to select skills, (2) an identified, structured orientation period in their first nursing job, composed of didactic classes and clinical experience designed to further refine skills, including mentoring by a preceptor; (3) an understanding that critical thinking permeates all dimensions of nursing practice; and (4) an identified contribution from both nursing school and their first nursing jobs towards competency development. |
