The availability of clinical anatomy in postgraduate nursing education in New Zealand

Abstract

Objectives:Clinical anatomy is a vital subject for postgraduate training for many healthcare professions. Nurses undertakingadvanced training require knowledge of clinical anatomy to guide sound clinical practice (assessment, differential diagnosis, decision-making processes) and professional interaction. The availability of clinical anatomy for nurses at postgraduate level in NewZealand was assessed to provide insight into local educational trends. Methods: An audit of institutions offering postgraduate nursing education in New Zealand (five universities, four polytechnics) was performed. The availability of clinical anatomy and other science-based courses were assessed to explore scienceeducation options. Institution and departmental websites were accessed to determine course availability for clinical anatomy and science-based (pathophysiology, pharmacology) courses; telephone communication was initiated when data wereunclear and to confirm course availability. Basic descriptive analyses were performed on data. Results: On average, 26.3 different courses were offered per institution (range 7 to 39; total 237). From the nine institutions offering postgraduate nursing training, fifteen science-based courses were available. One institution offered no basicscience courses, all others offered either pharmacology (n=10), pathophysiology (n=5) or both (n=5). Two offered two pharmacology courses. No institutions offered clinical anatomy. Conclusion:The lack of clinical anatomy training options in postgraduate nursing education in New Zealand suggests this subject may be perceived as not relevant. The relevance of clinical anatomy to postgraduate nursing education is discussed to highlight how this important subject would assist educational outcomes, and to provide impetus for its implementation in future programmes.