The development of the Australian gerontological nursing competencies

Background: There is a global workforce shortage of registered nurses that can work in community and care homes. Aim: To develop gerontological nursing competencies (GNCs) for registered nurses working within community and care homes in Australia. Methods: A prospective mixed-method study: Phase 1: scoping review, Phase 2: workshop with aged care nurses (n = 76), and Phase 3: e-Delphi (n = 409) with five rounds of consultation. Findings: The literature review identified 10 themes that were used to create a draft list of gerontological competencies. This list was reviewed at a workshop and 11 core competencies with associated domains of practice were generated. The e-Delphi endorsed this set of competencies and associated domains of practice for aged care nursing in Australia. The GNCs are (i) living well for older people across communities and groups, (ii) maximising health outcomes, (iii) effective communication, (iv) facilitating transitions in care, (v) facilitating choices within legal and ethical frameworks, (vi) partnering with family carers, (vii) promoting mental health and psychological well-being, (viii) evidence-based dementia care, (ix) pain assessment and optimal pain management, (x) providing palliative care, and (xi) enabling access to technology. Discussion: The GNCs provide evidence-based expectations of service provision from registered nurses in aged care services in Australia. With further research, these competencies could be applied to other settings, levels of practice, and disciplines. Conclusions: These competencies provide a foundation for recruiting and developing registered nurses capable of providing safe, high-quality care to older people and their families.