The Bachelor of Nursing degree is designed to equip you with a broad based comprehensive education that enables you to work in a variety of practice settings. Increasingly healthcare organisations expect to employ nurses (including graduate nurses) who can demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in practice. Flexibility in the workplace is attained through practices where nurse’s time at work is adjusted by asking or requiring them to work overtime and/or take time off.
For instance, instead of commencing a shift at 1400 nurses may commence a shift at 1600. Nurses may have to cover meal breaks in another area. As a graduate nurse you will be asked to go relieving for all or part of a shift.
The activity question for you to answer is:
How do registered nurses maintain their safety and promote quality in practice, particularly when they may be required to work in a diverse range of practice settings, often at short notice?
In answering this question think broadly, consider the knowledge and skills that you have gained so far from your studies. Equally, consider what we have covered in previous topics in BaRN. You may also like to read Chapter 7 from the core text for BaRN, Becoming a Nurse.
