Nurses 'say training inadequate'
Press association - Wed 18th January
Two thirds of nurses do not believe current nurse training adequately prepares people for the job, according to a new poll.
The survey of more than 2,500 nurses for Nursing Standard magazine asked 16 questions about nursing care and allowed respondents to expand on their comments.
One nurse said "newly qualified nurses feel basic nursing care is beneath them" and called for ward-based training to be reintroduced to teach them how to "feed people and how to communicate effectively".
Last week, Government advisers working as part of the NHS Future Forum said there was "almost universal concern" about the "huge variations in quality" of education and training for nurses.
They pointed to the recruitment of student nurses as a key problem.
"Selection in nursing was a particular issue, with a sense that the focus has moved away from selecting students on their ability, capacity for compassion and caring and desire to work in nursing," they said.
"This has led, in some cases, to significant dropout rates and issues with basic skills such as numeracy."
Newly-qualified nurses are sometimes not offered "any further training or induction" meaning they fail to understand the values of the NHS or "have the right basic skills", they added.
