Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health has launched a new programme to support newly qualified nurses in transitioning to the clinical setting, providing a structured 12-month programme focusing on clinical competence, practical performance and soft skills across various healthcare settings.

New qualified registered nurses entering the workforce are known to experience transition shock. The transition from nursing student to registered nurses can be stressful and complex, making it essential to appropriately support their transition.

Last Friday, the first cohort of 12 Bachelor of Nursing Pacific students graduated after three years of study, under the programme run jointly by Te Marae Ora (TMO) Ministry of Health, Whitireia Polytechnic and the University of the South Pacific.

On Monday, Te Marae Ora launched a new Bachelor of Nursing Internship Programme (BNIP), a guiding document initiative to help newly registered nurses transition smoothly into the workforce and effectively work in clinical settings.

Secretary for Health Bob Williams congratulated the nurses for their commitment and successfully completing their studies as the first cohort under the Bachelor of Nursing Pacific programme.

Williams stated that the BNIP is a milestone for nursing in the Cook Islands since it’s the first programme of its kind.

The graduate nurses will start their journey as a developing nurse for the next 12 months in the BNIP which aspires to develop nurses who are confident, knowledgeable and able to think critically.

Te Marae Ora’s chief nursing officer, Ngatamariki Manea (left), and Health secretary Bob Williams (right). MELINA ETCHES/24121131

Te Marae Ora’s chief nursing officer Ngatamariki Manea was proud to see the BNIP come to fruition.

She said the transition to practice programmes were implemented as a support strategy to ease the transition from being a student nurse to that of a registered nurse. They are also designed to increase graduates’ confidence and competence and to improve their professional adjustment.

“The transition to practice programmes provides the opportunity to expose our new nurses to generic clinical roles and functions of a registered nurse and allows and assists them in their clinical skills,” said Manea.

“The BNIP is targeted to a Bachelor of Nursing qualified nurses who are undertaking an internship prior to becoming fully fledged registered nurses.

“It provides a safety net of sorts in which newly qualified registered nurses, known as developing nurses are supported.”

The 12-month programme focuses on clinical competence, practical performance and soft skills of the developing nurses while they work on the three directorates of TMO – Hospital Health Services, Primary Health Care (Outpatients), and community and mental health services.

Manea says the BNIP will not only streamline activities of a developing nurse but also provide a holistic approach to accomplishing quality clinical performance and expertise in the beginner’s journey of every developing nurse.

The developing nurses will complete four clinical rotations of 13 weeks duration in the medical or surgical ward, speciality award (maternity, emergency, operating theatres or mental health), primary health care, and public health.

They will be given the opportunity to put forward preferences for the clinical areas they would like to work in. Every attempt will be made to ensure that they receive at least one of their preferences which should ensure that developing nurses are matched with their areas of interest. Te Marae Ora hopes this will further contribute to the retention of nurses.