Developing the nursing associate role in a critical care unit

Abstract

The role of nursing associate (NA) was originally created as a generic nursing role to bridge the gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses. When it was launched, there was no guidance on how it could be incorporated into specialist areas of nursing such as critical care; however, this meant there was freedom to tailor its training to area-specific needs. This article looks at the experience of a small critical care unit in North Devon in taking on an NA trainee. It explores the background of the new role, the challenges faced and the development of skills priorities specific to critical care. This early experience is encouraging, but it is still too early to determine the overall value of NAs, and their future in critical care is an open book. For NAs to thrive in that setting, their role will need to be incorporated into national competency frameworks and standards for safe staffing.

This article has been double-blind peer reviewed

In this article…

• History and background of the role of nursing associate

• Experience of a critical care unit supporting a nursing associate trainee

• Skills required from future nursing associates joining a critical care nursing team

Key points

The role of nursing associate (NA) was created to fill the gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses

Future NAs can be trained in specialist areas of nursing practice, such as critical care

Training future NAs requires an understanding of the scope of practice and staff engagement

There is freedom to tailor NA training to area-specific needs

NAs can strengthen the nursing team but it is too early to determine their value

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