Nurse assistant course to start while postgraduate courses end.

Demand from local empLoyers has driven the development of an education programme for nurse assistants (NAs) at Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in Invercargill. The head of SIT's School of Nursing, Jill Parsons, said the school was responding to demand from the Southland District Hearth Board, rest-homes and a private surgical hospital "Local industry is saying they want another regulated worker," she said. The year-long course, which is to go to Nursing Council for approval will have a maximum intake of 30 students at first and will begin in mid-2007. The students will concentrate on core papers for the first six months and then on one specialty. Those specialties are long-term care and rehabilitation; secondary care; palliative care; and developmental disabilities. The school is Looking at developing a perioperative specialty. The specialty the NA has chosen will go on their annual practising certificate.

Parsons, who attended the Nursing Council forum Last month, is concerned at the Lack of any follow up of unregulated health care assistants' standard of care. She is confident the first NA course will attract 30 students. The Nursing Council had been very positive and supportive about the the programme, she said.

The Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT) is still running a second-level nursing programme, with 24 on the current course. Most graduates of the programme were getting jobs, head of CPIT's nursing school Cathy Andrew said. "Employers can see they have a Lot to offer, particularly in aged care."

But there was barely enough demand for the course, she said. Andrew believes the course should remain at level 4 on the New Zealand Qualifications Authority framework. "The people coming into the programme haven't got the academic background or confidence to begin at level 5, which is the entry criteria for a bachelor of nursing (BN). But the course does provide a pathway to the BN," she said.

* Faced with reduced funding and falling enrolments, Otago Polytechnic's School of Nursing is to phase-out all its existing clinical postgraduate nursing programmes. "We run one of seven clinically-focused masters programmes in the country. These are very specialised programmes that are expensive to deliver. All schools delivering cLinicaLLy-focused postgraduate degrees are feeling the effects of reduced funding from the Tertiary Education Commission, but we are the first to make the decision to phase out the programmes," the schooL's academic Leader, Alison Dixon (right), said.

Dixon, who was made a companion of the Queen Service Order in June for her services to nursing and health, admits making this decision has not been easy. "Otago Polytechnic has offered postgraduate nursing programmes since 1998 and clinical master's programmes since 2000." All existing students will be able to finish their courses, some with other providers, and Dixon anticipates it will be the end of 2008/earLy 2009 before the Last students complete their master's degrees. She hopes the funding crisis will eventually result in something good emerging for the nursing profession. "This is a new worn we are engaged in now."