Nurse’s clinical skill utilisation: An opinion from public health institutions

Abstract Background Nurses are the backbone of health care systems worldwide. In India the assessment of existing knowledge of nursing workforce and the utilization of skills is not evaluated and properly used to ensure good quality in health care. Methods Using the Delphi technique a survey was developed and sent to nurses. Self- rating methods (on a likert scale) were used in order to operationalize the personal skills. Results Almost half (48%) of the participants have a Bachelor degree. Out of this 27.2% qualified for a higher education (e.g. Master in related subject). Most nurses (56% in sample were females) are permanent employed working as staff nurse or nursing officers in the public sector. Among the participants 20% have sufficient teaching experience between 1 to 3 years. Self-rating of skills was high in almost all topics. Conclusion Having attained higher education most of the participants remain working as staff nurses. The good self-rating of participants underlines their ability to take over much higher positions and responsibilities. Moreover, teaching experience is hardly acknowledged by institutions since teaching staff is usually recruited from outside. The study suggests that a majority of the population has an interest to work in rural area. Better work conditions are needed in order to gain workforce in this areas.