TERMINOLOGIES Orientation: an individualized training programe intended to acquaint a newly hired employee with job responsibilities, work place,

clients and co-workers Staff development: all training and education provided by an employer to improve the occupational and personal knowledge, skills, and attitudes of vested employees Problem solving: the process of overcoming obstacles that impede ones acquisition of a desired goal Policy: a long range statement of agency goals or intended course of action In-service education: ongoing, on-the-job instruction that is given to enhance the workers performance in their present job DEFINITION Staff development refers to all training and education provided by an employee to improve the occupational and personal knowledge, skills, and attitudes of vested employees. NEED FOR STAFF DEVELOPMENT Staff development activities include training and education needed, because social change and scientific advancement cause rapid obsolescence of nursing and skills. The main purpose of staff development programe for nurses is to provide the opportunity to continually acquire and implement the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values essential for the maintenance of high quality of nursing care. Staff development activities are defined by its concepts such as competence, interest, needs and learning and training. PHILOSOPHY OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT The department of continuing education is an integral part of the nursing division and embraces the philosophy of the division. The primary goal of a health care agency is the achievement of a high quality of health care for the people who use the agencies service. The educational activities should be designed and implemented to promote a safe, effective, nursing practice and to increase job enrichment through lifelong learning. Emphasis should be on application of knowledge to the actual work environment. There is a three-way responsibility involved in staff development for nurses are:

1. The individual nurses responsibility for staff development based on a commitment to learning as a means of personal and professional growth 2. The nursing professions responsibility for promoting the development of nursing personnel based on standards for nursing practice and the needs of the nurse FUNCTIONS OF STAFF DEVELOPMENT The main purpose of staff development is to provide educational activities for all nurses employed by the health care agency directed towards change in behaviour related to role expectations, which build upon the individuals varied education and experimental basis. The staff development programe must be concerned with the growth and development of personnel from their initial contact with a health care agency untill termination of service. Within a health care agency, the following components will provide a framework for structuring a staff development programe Socio-Economics 1. Manpower planning Recruitment Selection Placement 2. Counseling Performance evaluation Career planning Promotion 3. Employee-employer relation Personal [policies and practices Health services Labour relations Experience i. Nursing practices Direct patient care- general or specialties as independent patient care assignment or team approach Indirect patient care- supervision, administration, teaching and research Other real life experiences Colleague interaction Voluntary activities related to health care Professional association participants personal life

ii.

Education Continuing education In-service education Orientation Skills attitude and knowledge pertinent to nursing practice within the health care team and to career planning for individual nurse practitioners