Working in Aged Care can be both challenging and confronting, but also extremely satisfying knowing that you can make such a significant impact on someone’s life. Choosing to be a Registered Nurse in Aged Care can provide exciting and rewarding opportunities for rapid development and career advancement.

The Program aims to attract, retain and support new Registered Nurses by offering vital education, guidance and mentorship to new Registered Nurses beginning their careers. This comprehensive course, split into 12 modules, combines evidence-based learning and best practice that is aligned with the Aged Care Quality Standards.

The course combines evidence-based modules that are all focused on supporting new graduates and new to industry registered nurses to understand their role and begin the transition from novice to expert clinician.

• • Enhanced career opportunities
  • Your role, professional responsibilities, and scope of practice
  • How to be a clinical leader and role model their expected professional behaviours
  • How to embed a culture of quality and safety that drives the high-level consumer experience
  • The fundamentals of clinical governance frameworks
  • Effective care planning and case conference in line with the Aged Care Quality Standards
  • The Aged Care Quality Standards with a focus on Standard 3b and high impact high prevalence risk
  • Key policies and processes in relation to current compliance risk drivers
  • Continuous quality improvement using audits and a quality cycle
  • Adverse events, their investigations, improvement planning, and preventing event re-occurrence
  • How to improve the effectiveness of clinical meetings and forums.

• • Accountability and well-governed care resulting in an improved consumer experience
  • A knowledge and skills framework and foundation that promotes better quality and safety outcomes for consumers
  • Improved clinical management, reporting and adherence to the Aged Care Quality Standards
  • An engaged and upskilled clinical team
  • This program is available for delivery at your service / home and content can be tailored for your individual organisations needs and circumstances*

*Minimum 10 participants are required

Module 1: Clinical Leadership

• • Overview of the program
  • Understanding the role, responsibilities, and scope of practice of key clinical staff including registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and unregulated staff members.
  • Understanding the importance of accountability, responsibility, and delegation.
  • Alignment to the Aged Care Quality Standards (ACQS)
  • Case studies focused on Module 1 using the Anchor Excellence Risk and Compliance Framework and Anchor Excellence Fact Sheets
  • Reflective process focused on Module 1 using the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice and Gibbs reflective cycle.

Module 2: Clinical Governance Frameworks

• • Understanding the fundamentals of clinical governance frameworks
  • Alignment to the Aged Care Quality Standards (ACQS)
  • Case studies focused on Module 2 using the Anchor Excellence Risk and Compliance Framework and Anchor Excellence Fact Sheets
  • Reflective process focused on Module 2 using the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice and Gibbs reflective cycle.

Module 3 & 4: Policy and Process – Critical for Compliance 

• • Identification and review of key hotlist policies and processes in relation to current compliance risk drivers such as:
    • Deterioration of a consumer
    • Medication management
    • Restrictive practice
    • Falls
    • Choking.
  • Case studies focused on Modules 3 & 4 using the Anchor Excellence Risk and Compliance Framework and Anchor Excellence Fact Sheets.
  • Reflective process focused on Modules 3 & 4 using the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice and Gibbs reflective cycle.

Module 5 & 6: Effective assessment and care planning

• • Using the Aged Care Quality Standards (particularly 1,2 & 3), and dignity of risk to underpin care planning and case conferencing, participants will understand the key concepts of decision making, dignity of risk and how to partner with consumers and representatives to ensure that consumer goals, needs and preferences drive care and the consumer experience.
  • Quality and safety as key drivers of the consumer care and services experience.
  • Case studies focused on Modules 5 & 6 using the Anchor Excellence Risk and Compliance Framework and Anchor Excellence Fact Sheets.
  • Reflective process focused on Modules 5 & 6 using the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice and Gibbs reflective cycle.

Module 7: Participant Case Studies

• • Presentations will consolidate Modules 1-6 and will be aligned to:
    • The Aged Care Quality Standards
    • The NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice
    • Gibbs reflective cycle
    • An appropriate risk and compliance framework

Module 8 & 9: Quality, Safety, and the Consumer Experience

• • What is a quality cycle?
  • Consumer engagement and experience – why does it matter?
  • What does a good PCI look like?
  • What are the key items that need to be included in your PCI?
  • Understand how to use your data and audit results to drive continuous improvement.
  • How to connect with Self-assessments for Accreditation
  • Managing complaints-internal and external
  • Appraisals as a quality tool
  • Performance Management as a quality tool
  • Roster principles for quality and safe care delivery
  • In charge – what does that mean?
  • Managing conflict and dealing with difficult situations.
  • Case studies focused on Modules 8 & 9 using the Anchor Excellence Risk and Compliance Framework and Anchor Excellence Fact Sheets.
  • Reflective process focused on Modules 8 & 9 using the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice and Gibbs reflective cycle.

Module 10: Investigation of incidents 

• • Build on high impact risk and high prevalence risk context to consider adverse events, importance of investigation and open disclosure.
  • Understanding of the key elements of incident investigation including RCA and strategies to minimise recurrence of incidence.
  • Be able to identify trends and refine clinical practice to improve consumer outcomes.
  • Case studies focused on Module 10 using the Anchor Excellence Risk ⓒ and Compliance Framework and Anchor Excellence Fact Sheets.
  • Reflective process focused on Module 10 using the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice and Gibbs reflective cycle.

Module 11: Clinical meeting clinical forum effectiveness

• • How does your clinical meeting and forum schedule support quality and safe care delivery?
  • How do you motivate your clinical team to action meeting outcomes?
  • Do your clinical meetings and forums reflect quality improvements based on evidence-based practice?
  • Do you evaluate your clinical meetings and forums?
  • Case studies focused on Module 11 using the Anchor Excellence Risk and Compliance Framework © and Anchor Excellence Fact Sheets.
  • Reflective process focused on Module 11 using the NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice and Gibbs reflective cycle.

Module 12: Perspectives on leadership and Q & A with the AE Clinical Specialist Team

• • The CEO and Board perspective
  • The General Manager perspective
  • The Care Manager perspective
  • The registered nurse perspective