Union defends trainee nurses

STUDENT nurses should not do more than what they have been trained for, said Kuini Lutua, general secretary for the Fiji Nursing Association.

This was after a parent raised concerns about student nurses administering injections to children.

Ms Lutua said once a trainee nurse was trained to administer an injection, the nursing supervisor could allow the student to perform other tasks after a certain level of training.

She said administering an injection was a small part of the training.

"Student nurses work in the public hospitals as part of their training in terms of practical experience and competencies," she said.

Ms Lutua said the ability of trainee nurses depended on what they were taught.

She said trainee nurses must be supported to develop under supervision, and that was why it was critical to have experienced nurses in the health system to act as mentors to the trainees.

"The current remaining nurse supervisors do not have time to supervise the huge number of trainee nurses," she said.

Ms Lutua said it was also vital to have enough clinical tutors to undertake these roles to build the competency and confidence of student nurses.