Indonesian National Nurses Union (PPNI) of the Province of Yogyakarta Special Region for the first time will conduct the competency test for nurse graduates from 22 higher education institutions in the province in the year 2010. At least 400 of nurse graduates will be tested before they work in the community.
"In the province there are 5300 prospective nurses who are in the middle of their education, but less than 10 percent have their competence tested," said Chairman of the Union, Drs. Kirnantoro, S.K.M, M. Kes., to the reporters on the sidelines of nurse competency test designing training in the Ismangoen building, Faculty of Medicine UGM, Tuesday (3/8).
Kirnantoro delivered the reason why his office had only just conducted the competency test this year is because of the unavailability of competency standards that apply nationally. "Types, methods and instruments of nursing skills that will be tested are expected to come out of this workshop," he explained. Previously, the Union also conducted the competency test on 629 people in 2008 and 729 people in 2009 in D3 Nursing program. "This year 718 people will be tested," he said.
Answering questions from reporters, Kirnantoro explained that the competency test aims to maintain the quality of nurse education as a provider of professional nurses. "Not all of the educational institutions produce graduates that meet the standards. "The results of this test can provide input for improvement for educational institutions," he said.
He added that the increasing competency will impact on the availability of affordable and quality health services in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes. While Head of Health Services in the province, dr. Aridah, M. Kes., said that the competency tests conducted in the last two years resulted in the increasing needs of nurse graduates from universities in Yogyakarta to work elsewhere. “Many graduates from here were asked to work outside the region. They considered them well enough," she said.
Although the nurse competency continues to be improved, Aridah still regretted that up to now in Yogyakarta, there is no specialist nurse education. In her opinion, nurse specialists are increasingly needed along with the increasing demand for better services by the public; especially nurse specialists for psychiatric disorders.
"The Sardjito hospital, for example, has no nurse specialists. Educational institutions need to think about it so that this nurse specialist education can be implemented," she pleaded. Workshops and training at the Nursing Science Studies Program UGM will be conducted from 3-4 August, followed by 45 lecturers and hospital nurses.