Undergraduate registered nursing students working as assistants in nursing within the acute care environment: Program development and discussion

© 2018 Australian College of Nursing Ltd Background: Most pre-registration nursing students require employment during their studies which may entail undertaking another qualification. This paper describes how one university developed a program whereby undergraduate nursing students complete the national vocational education – HLT33115 Assistant in Nursing qualification through recognition of prior learning, a self-directed education package and completion of an objective structured clinical examination. Objective: To discuss the development of an ‘Assistant in Nursing’ in the acute care environment program for pre-registration undergraduate nursing degree students using the national vocational education framework. Design: This program maps the national ‘Assistant in Nursing- Acute Care’ vocational qualification to the pre-registration registered nurse degree. Upon successful completion of this program students can work as Assistants in Nursing within the acute care environment. Conclusions: This program enables student nurses to work as Assistants in Nursing within the acute care environment. This provides employment in a health facility and opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the clinical environment whilst continuing their studies. This may assist students to gain a deeper insight into their future role as a nurse, build networks within the nursing community and assimilate into the clinical environment. This program design may prove useful as a template for other nursing faculties wishing to implement a similar program