The enduring issue of assessing nursing knowledge : Surgical nursing final examinations in Australia and New Zealand, 1905-1930

Finding the most appropriate way to assess knowledge is an enduring issue. In the past, nurses seeking state registration or professional qualification through nursing association membership were required to pass state final or association examinations. This historical research describes final examinations in surgical nursing in Australia and New Zealand, 1905-1930, when the examination process and standards were first being established. A comparison shows more similarity than difference between the two countries' examinations. Not surprisingly, the most common topic in this pre-antibiotic period was prevention of wound infection. Despite the generally high pass rate, analysis of published examiners' comments in New Zealand reveals concern about areas of nurses' knowledge and level of general education. Examiners were concerned to ensure an effective examination but also provided advice on how to pass it. The research contributes to a consideration of surgeons' expectations of nurses, and relations and knowledge boundaries between the two professions