Letter to the Editor by Nottoli on "Initial and Continuing Competence in Education and Practice..."

Initial and Continuing Competence in Education and Practice: Why Should It Be Mandatory?

December 13, 1999
in response to topic Initial and Continuing Competence in Education and Practice: Why Should It Be Mandatory?

Dear Editor:

Thank you so much for this marvelous issue on Initial and Continuing Competence. I intend to savor every word!

As an Adjunct Clinical Faculty member in a Baccalaureate nursing program, I have been concerned about and struggling with ways to help the students I work with reach a basic competency level before they enter the world of work. Since I also work in health care, I have witnessed first hand the reluctance of staff nurses to orient or mentor new nurses beyond a certain time frame. Unfortunately, the busier the nurses in any given work setting are, the more likely they are to be impatient with a struggling new nurse.

Mary Jane Nottoli, RN, MSN
Adjunct Clinical Faculty
Ursuline College, Breen School of Nursing