CQU Noosa Hub has been identified as a prime venue for learning support workshops hosted by the Competence Assessment Service (CAS), which is the sole return-to-practice education program endorsed by the Queensland Nursing Council.

CQU operates the Competency Assessment Service (CAS) in partnership with Central Queensland Institute of TAFE.

Facilitators of a recent CAS workshop, Kadie Cheney and Wendy Maitland selected the Noosa venue because of its state-of-the-art clinical nursing laboratories and its central location in the South East, where a predominance of students are located.

The CAS provides a self-paced distance education program based on undergraduate level performance expectations.

The program supports registration, enrolment and endorsement of nurses and midwives returning to practice after a 5-year period of absence, and for those nurses and midwives who have gained their qualification overseas and want to register for the first time in Queensland.

CAS lecturer Kadie Cheney said that, for many applicants, enrolling in the program is their first encounter with tertiary education and is alien to their previous teaching/learning experiences. The variety of experience with study at undergraduate level is diverse, often requiring intensive and frequent applicant support. 

"Learning support is provided by lecturers through individual telephone conversations and small group conversations at a selected variety of locations throughout the state," Ms Cheney said. 

"Recurring themes emerged from applicant interactions. The themes related to clinical placement performance, learning in isolation from colleagues, academic writing expectations, and subject specific assessment requirements.

"Nursing attrition and retention is the subject of numerous debates.  Therefore, providing support that positively influences students' learning, collegiality and confidence in their nursing practice, may contribute constructively to retention strategies within the industry.

"Of further significant interest is the potential to attract out-of-practice nurses to a pathway of professional development through a program that is focussed solely on supporting nurses to regain their registration and resume their place in nursing,"

Ms Cheney said a learning support workshop was considered to be a forum in which students may have their concerns addressed while promoting quality learning experiences.

The influence of a learning support workshop on the students' learning, collegiality, and confidence for practice was the focus of interest for the lecturers in the CAS program, from both a research enquiry aspect and from a program quality improvement view.

Ms Cheney said excitement and anticipation on the morning of the workshop built as the participants arrived and joined in.

"A surprising number of reacquaintances of many years ago were renewed. Positivity was the prevalent theme evident in all of the participants with several commenting that they felt a ‘professional belonging' once more," Ms Cheney said.

"The commonness of purpose of all of the attendees broke down barriers effectively and participants were heard telling their diverse stories to new acquaintances."

So complementary were feedback comments that another workshop is planned in early December to repeat the experience for other participants.

Queries about the CAS can be made via Courtney Exten on 07 4930 6934 or c.exten@cqu.edu.au