Nursing competence 10 years on: fit for practice and purpose yet?

This paper examines how nurses are prepared to be clinically competent and safe at registration, so that they are fit for practice and purpose. It follows up two papers on competence published in 1997 and 1998 and investigates subsequent developments.In 1979, major changes in nursing affected nurse education and preparation for competence. In the following two decades, it became clear that nurses lacked clinical skills. This paper examines...