Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110004

Amanda Nickerson, BSN, RN¹, Judith L. Wold, PhD, RN², Masayo Nishiyama, BSN, RN¹, and Natela Partskhladze, MD, MSW³. (1) Woodruff School of Nursing/Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1520 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, 404-252-9877, amandanickerson16@hotmail.com, (2) Georgia State University School of Nursing, P.O. Box 4019, Atlanta, GA 30302-4019, (3) Partners for Health, 51 Iv Javakishvili St, Tbilisi, Georgia

With a worldwide demand for qualified and competent nurses on the rise, many developing countries are looking for assistance in establishing a platform for nursing education that will meet rigorous modern standards. Nursing education standards of the former soviet countries do not meet contemporary requirements. The lack of standardized competence testing to become licensed further weakens the nursing education system. The purpose of this AIHA- funded study was to establish a baseline of current nursing practice that will serve as a measure for improvement through its prioritization of clinical nursing skill needs. This information will be used to improve both continuing nursing education and basic nursing education. A participatory improvement approach was used in order to build capacity and identify gaps in practice. A quantitative survey was used to assess achievement of core nursing competencies as defined by the International Council of Nursing's (ICN) Competencies for the Generalist Nurse (2003). Additionally, participant observations were also used to assess competency and gain insight into competency needs. This investigation focused on the extent to which ICN staff nurse competencies were being met by the nursing staff of two newly modernized hospitals in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. The authors surveyed 95 nurses from those 2 hospitals. The results identified competency gaps in 5 main clinical practice areas: 1) assessment, 2) ethics, 3) delegation, 4) accountability, and 5) planning. Methodology, results, and implications will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to

• discuss the ICN competencies for the generalist nurse,
• identify the main gaps in Georgian nursing competency, and
• develop ideas for educating, training, and generating internationally competent nurses from developing countries.

Keywords: Nursing Education, International

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.