Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations
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Submission 11
AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL OF DEANS OF NURSING INC
A SUBMISSION TO THE INQUIRY INTO THE APPROPRIATE ROLES OF INSTITUTES
OF TECHNICAL AND FURTHER EDUCATION
This submission comes from the Australian Council of Deans of Nursing
Inc. (ACDON)
The Australian Council of Deans of Nursing (ACDON) comprises the heads
of every Faculty or School of Nursing in Australian universities. We wish
to make a submission to the Inquiry because Nursing and, more widely,
health care employs people prepared in universities and in TAFE Institutes,
and in many cases people who have received no formal preparation for their
health care role. Our Council is concerned about some aspects of this
situation and considers that a better understanding of the functions of
the various educational sectors, and a closer relationship between them,
is essential to improvement of the situation.
Need for a national approach
One matter of some urgency is the need for a national approach to the
preparation of health care workers, which at present is provided in different
ways and to different extents in the various States and Territories. The
anomalies to which this gives rise are exacerbated by the fact that now,
by law, qualifications gained in any State/Territory must be recognised
in every other one if the holder chooses to move away from the place where
the qualification was gained.
This is less of a problem for Registered Nurses (RN s) who now all receive
their professional preparation in universities and who are registered
by their State/Territory registration boards with some coordination of
requirements through the Australian Nursing Council Incorporated. At the
levels of Enrolled Nurse (EN s) and Assistants in Nursing (AIN s) or other
carers the problem can be acute, with the situation different in each
State.
For example, in some States EN s are trained in TAFE institutes through
courses which lead to a formal award and which can articulate with university
courses for progression to the degree of Bachelor of Nursing (and RN status).
In South Australia however there is very little opportunity for enrolled
nurses to do such courses. They can do a community course at TAFE and
then a module which leads to acceptance as an enrolled nurse. The University
of South Australia has been interested in running an associate diploma
with an articulation with the degree course, and the Nurses Board does
not have a problem with this, but the course has not yet been approved
for presentation. The University would be happy to offer associate diplomas
for EN s and for aged care assistants, since it has the clinical laboratories
etc to support such offerings.
In some cases where TAFE institutes are attempting to set up courses
with overseas consultancies they do not have the personnel, expertise
or the assistance required to set up quality courses. As the TAFE system
is often an unknown entity in some overseas markets, if the courses established
are not of good quality or appropriate this may have an adverse impact
on universities in Australia. This is another aspect where a national
and coordinated approach is required.
Articulation
Articulation of sub-degree and degree courses is an important issue.
It should be possible for people wishing to become Registered Nurses to
commence courses with appropriate and consistent recognition for their
prior leaming and experience. Our Council has a position paper on "Credit
Transfer and Assessment for Prior Leaming" which is enclosed with
this submission for the information of the Committee. However, it should
not be expected that all individuals can move from TAFE into university
and manage. It is common to find TAFE graduates who are not academically
able to cope with the level of work at university. Some of these have
undertaken an EN course and as they have passed well they have assumed
that the level will be the same at university. Often they are setting
themselves up for failure or just scraping through with lots of support
from academics in times when academics' time is being eroded by other
tasks. This could have a deleterious impact on the nursing profession.
It sometimes happens that students applying for advanced standing are
surprised that they do not have more credit as they believe they are already
at RN level and yet their peformance once at university does not demonstrate
this. TAFE level assignments are frequently at a lower level than university
level and this shows up where former TAFE students can describe but not
analyse material. This can lead to ENs attempting to undertake tasks where
they are not familiar with the requisite skills or are not aware of the
potential consequences of actions.
Fields of employment
At present there are very few jobs for Enrolled Nurses except within
aged care settings. Yet, some TAFE EN courses are concentrating on sending
EN students to theatre, intensive care and so on, rather than to aged
care. As a consequence the students do not want to work in aged care.
Our Council believes that the emphasis is wrong and the level may have
become distorted, as individuals teaching in such programs may not have
appropriate education backgrounds.
Role of TAFE
We believe that the TAFE courses for ENs need to be restructured to concentrate
on the EN as an individual who under supervision of a RN is able to give
clients assistance in their daily living. The RN program needs to remain
at university levels so that nursing can continue to move forward as a
profession whose principles are based upon sound
scientific knowledge.
Guiding Principles
In the view of our Council, there should be nationally consistent arrangements
for preparing nurses and others working in health care. A professional
body should oversee developments of all levels of nurse preparation with
respect to licensure and credentialling. As regards the relationships
between TAFE and universities, the Council proposes the following principles:
1. TAFE should not provide bachelor level awards in nursing.
2. If TAFE colleges enter the market to prepare unlicensed care assistants
this should be done in collaboration with the universities, as it will
be university educated RNs who will be responsible for supervising this
level of carer.
3. Arrangements for advanced standing should be transparent throughout
the university and TAFE sectors. Credit arrangements should continue
to assist TAFE graduates to upgrade to bachelor of nursing level and
there should also be consistent
4. standards for credit back to TAFE for bachelor of nursing students
unable to complete the university qualification.
5. All TAFE nursing courses should be developed in collaboration with
university progarn coordinators to ensure consistency in standards for
articulation and for ease of credit transfer.
6. TAFE's continuing and further education programmes should be confined
primarily to offerings appropriate to enrolled nurses. This is important
in view of the staffing and resources of TAFE colleges, which are commensurate
with this level of education.
Further Comments
If the Committee desires further information or would wish to question
the Council, the President and Secretary are happy to make themselves
available. We thank the Committee for the opportunity to present a submission
on a matter which closely concerns us.
Signed on behalf of the Australian Council of Deans of Nursing Inc:
E. Cameron-Traub
Secretary
22 October 1997
Attachment: Position Statement - Credit Transfer and Assessment for
Prior Learning
CREDIT TRANSFER AND ASSESSMENT FOR PRIOR LEARNING
Both the profession and the discipline of nursing focus on the complexity
of nursing practice and both share the task for ensuring that best practice
models of care are based on life-long learning. While life-long learning
is certainly a desired goal for practitioners of nursing, it is sometimes
difficult for some nurses to maintain this awareness and to set individual
targets for learning over a lifetime. Therefore, the Australian Council
of Deans of Nursing (ACDON) has adopted, in principle, the Australian
Vice-Chancellors' Committee (AVCC) guidelines for credit transfer. The
AVCC guidelines are based on several national projects on credit transfer
- nursing was one of these pilot projects and therefore has provided data
for the generation of these guidelines.
While much work has been done on credit transfer, the recognition of
prior learning for credit has received less attention, perhaps because
it is somewhat more elusive. The ACDON therefore concurs with the following
guidelines on both credit transfer and recognition of prior learning.
AVCC GUIDELINES:
1 Institutions should publish (and review annually), in their
handbooks and in information made available through State/Territory
admissions centers, information on the credit which will be granted
in courses (other than higher degrees) on the basis of identified post-secondary
studies in and Australian university or TAFE. The information should
include an indication of the credit which will be granted for partly
completed studies, as well as completed courses. The prior studies which
would normally be included are from the level of Advanced Certificate
to undergraduate degree.
2 Published credit transfer information should indicate to prospective
students that eligibility for credit does not guarantee them a place
in the course in which that credit would be available.
3 Students should be advised of the credit offered at the time
at which they accept a place in a course, rather than being required
to make subsequent credit application.
4 Students should be able to expect that credit granted will
be at the highest level consistent with their chances of success in
the course, and should be at least at the level recommended for national
implementation in specified fields of study.
5 Wherever possible, credit should be granted in the form of
block credit (for whole stages or years of a course) or specified credit
(identifying specific subjects(s) which the student is not required
to undertake), and should enable the recipient of the credit to shorten
the time taken to complete the course. Unspecified credit (in the form
of credit points, or other similar measure) may be used where block
or specified credit is inappropriate.
6 Where prerequisite knowledge is required, or other restrictions apply
to the granting of credit, the institution should publish advice to
prospective students on ways in which requirements can be met.
7 There should be an effective means of appeal established within each
institution against credit transfer decisions. The information published
about the appeals system should include these principles.
GUIDELINES ON RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING FOR CREDIT
1 Universities should develop and publish policies (and, where
possible, details of amounts of credit available) on the recognition
for credit of prior 'informal' learning (RPL), that is knowledge, skills,
attitudes and/or attributes which have been acquired through learning
experiences other than in a course offered by an Australian university
or technical and further education. RPL for credit may be of two broad
kinds;
(i) learning acquired in a'credentialled' context, other than a university
or TAFE, such as in a course offered by a professional body, enterprise,
private educational institution, or by any other provider recognised
by a university.
(ii) learning acquired in an 'uncredentialled' context, such as through
work experience or through life experience.
2 Published information RPL should indicate that eligibility
for credit based on RPL assessment does not guarantee an applicant a
place in the course in which such credit may be available.
3 Applicants for RPL should be advised of the forms and sources
of prior learning which a university is prepared to take into account
in assessing entitlement to credit in a university course. As a guide,
universities should indicate their willingness or otherwise to take
account of:
(i) courses provided by professional bodies, enterprises, private
educational institutions and/or other providers recognised by a
university, and/or
(ii) learning from work or other forms of practical experience,
and/or
(iii) learning from life experience.
4 The procedures adopted to assess a particular course or range
of experiences as the basis for credit in a university course should
ensure that the prior learning assessed is comparable in content and
standard with the university course in which credit is sought. The standards
applied in assessing RPL should not be greater than those required to
pass the relevant component of the university course.
5 Procedures developed by a university for the recognition of
RPL should ensure that:
(i) for recognition of courses provided by a body other than a university
or TAFE, the academic staff carrying out the assessment have a detailed
knowledge of the university course(s) in which credit is sought.
(ii) for recognition of work and/or life experience, the academic
staff carrying out the assessment have, in addition to detailed knowledge
of the relevant university course(s), personal expertise in or access
to advice on RPL assessment methods.
6 RPL assessment procedures should be completed, and the results recorded,
before the beginning of the semester in which credit is sought.
7 Universities which give credit for learning from work and/or life
experience, and which carry out RPL assessment of this learning for
individual applicants, should indicate whether, and in what form, the
costs of RPL assessment will be recovered from applicants.
Professional nursing in Australia embraces all those who give direct
care. The Enrolled Nurse has been a part of this giving direct care for
some decades in Australia and it is of particular concern for the Deans
that there be clear articulation pathways for Enrolled Nurses to become
Registered Nurses if that is their desire, or for Enrolled Nurses to deepen
their knowledge within a life-long learning model.
Currently all nursing schools and faculties in Australia activate credit
transfer at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Each institution
has its individual processes to do this but all are actively granting
credit transfer. The recognition of prior learning is a more elusive activity
and the Deans encourage schools and faculties to develop individual guidelines
on this, which could then be reviewed at a future date.
February 1997
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