The development of role adequacy for professional nurses in Jordan

Aim: This paper reviews the development of role adequacy in Jordan through an examination of nurse education, specialization and continuing education programmes in order to identify the developmental needs for the Jordanian professional nurse's initial and continued competence. Background: The concept of role adequacy in nursing relates directly to the skills and competencies of individuals who undertake the nursing role. Various types and levels of nursing education have been established with several reforms over time in attempt to meet the Jordanian nursing workforce's need for key competencies. A nursing council was established in 2002 but it has yet to guide professional development. Conclusion: The nursing profession in Jordan has made great advances towards developing role adequacy over the last half century. Currently, there is a relatively good national system of educational preparation of nurses with the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree providing the only point of entry to the profession. However, this draws heavily on North American curricula and textbooks and therefore may not be culturally and economically sensitive to the population's needs. The state of continuing education and specialist training in Jordan indicates there is an urgent need to set national minimum standards for continuing professional development requirements if nurses' role adequacy and continued competence are to be maintained. National cooperation between educational institutions, healthcare providers and the nursing regulatory body is needed if the goal of a competent nursing workforce is to be realized. This paper reviews the development of role adequacy in Jordan through an examination of nurse education, specialization and continuing education programmes in order to identify the developmental needs for the Jordanian professional nurse's initial and continued competence.