Abstract: Professional development is an ongoing requirement of nurses as a result of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act. The Act?s principal purpose is to protect the health and safety of the public by ensuring health practitioners are fit and competent to practise. This survey was designed to explore the avenues nurses have taken, and would prefer to take, for their professional development. The questionnaire was sent to a random sample of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation's registered and enrolled nurse members. Nurses overwhelmingly favoured professional development in the workplace. More than half the respondents reported a conflict with other time commitments, while a number of respondents wrote of their desire for work-life balance. The cost of fees, ability to take time off work, and time and travelling distance were all hurdles to professional development. Nurses cited information technology, conflict resolution, managing challenging behaviour, and dealing with rostered & rotating shifts as aspects of their current work for which their nursing education (pre and post) had not adequately prepared them. Nurses also indicated that their pre-registration education in health systems and political processes was inadequate for their current work. As nurses aged, their interest in professional development increased, though many still preferred workplace options. The authors conclude that, in order for professional development opportunities to be accessible and relevant, resources and time must be made available. This is vital to achieve ongoing education of nurses and improved patient outcomes. Management support, combined with effective assessment of learning needs guiding professional development opportunities, are fundamental to ensuring nurse competence.

Abstract: The NZNO Younger Nurse survey examined the characteristics of younger nurse members of NZNO (aged under 30) in order to identify potential recruitment and retention strategies for these nurses, and provide information on how best to support younger members to become involved in NZNO activities.
The findings indicate that while most younger nurses enjoy their work and find it rewarding, they also face a range of challenges in the workplace due to their age ?including bullying and poor choice of shifts. Many younger nurses do not feel appropriately paid for the work they do and believe there are insufficient nurses to provide safe care. Over 10% of younger nurses are considering leaving the nursing profession. Many younger nurses feel the emotional challenge of nursing was more than they anticipated and that their education did not prepare them well to manage this.
A range of recommendations are made including the need to improve undergraduate curriculum content on managing the emotional challenges of nursing, the need to implement clinical supervision for all nurses but particularly for those under 30, the need to develop and implement activities to address bullying in the workplace, and the need to improve pay progression scales in employment contracts.
Further research is required to explore why there is a discrepancy between female and male nurses?postgraduate qualifications by age, the particular needs of younger Indian and South East Asian nurses, the discrepancy between younger nurses and older nurses perceptions of insufficient nurses, and what type of emotional stress younger nurses find most challenging.

Abstract: The second, biennial survey of NZNO members based on the RCN longitudinal survey. A snapshot of the employment, views and morale of the New Zealand Nursing workforce.
Comparisons with the 2009 survey show an increase in job insecurity, experience of restructuring, and continuing differences in wages and turnover in the different sectors of the workforce.
The Enrolled Nurse membership in particular is in the midst of change, opportunity and disquiet. While the profession continues to be in good heart, there are some concerns about loss of senior nursing positions, and lack of suitable posts for new graduates.