Skip to main content

REVIEW article

Front. Med.
Sec. Healthcare Professions Education
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1472834

Readiness for Professional Practice among Health Professions Education Graduates: A Systematic Review

Provisionally accepted
Katie Wynne Katie Wynne 1Felista Mwangi Felista Mwangi 1Oyepeju Onifade Oyepeju Onifade 1Omotola Abimbola Omotola Abimbola 1,2Elizabeth Bembridge Elizabeth Bembridge 2Michelle Stubbs Michelle Stubbs 2Marita C. Lynagh Marita C. Lynagh 1Fiona Jones Fiona Jones 3Tazeen Majeed Tazeen Majeed 1Julie Burrows Julie Burrows 4Dileep Sharma Dileep Sharma 5Carla Sunner Carla Sunner 2Jessica Bergmann Jessica Bergmann 1Tanmay Bagade Tanmay Bagade 1Bunmi S. Malau-Aduli Bunmi S. Malau-Aduli 1*
  • 1 School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
  • 2 School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
  • 3 University Library, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
  • 4 Department of Rural Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia
  • 5 School of Health Sciences, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Readiness to practice is the state of being prepared and capable of engaging in professional activities in a specific field. Graduates of healthcare professions require a diverse set of skills, knowledge and attitudes to meet the demands of complex healthcare settings. This systematic review provides a comprehensive analysis of readiness for professional practice among graduates of health professions education. It encompasses a wide range of articles published between 2013 and 2024, incorporating various health professions and utilizing a combination of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods designs. The review identified 93 studies from 32 diverse countries. The review demonstrated that factors influencing readiness to practice, include individual capabilities, the workplace context, and educational provision, and explores strategies to enhance readiness to practice. The findings underscore the significance of addressing challenges such as lack of confidence, stress, communication, time management, job satisfaction, clinical experience, academic workload, teaching quality, mentorship and curriculum design. This comprehensive analysis serves as a valuable resource for healthcare educators, policymakers, and practitioners seeking to optimize the preparedness of graduates for the complexities of contemporary healthcare environments. Future studies should explore the relationships between R2P, the perception of the educational curriculum, and the importance of effective support in the professional environment.

    Keywords: Readiness to practice, Work-ready, Professional Practice, Healthcare Training, health graduates, allied health, Dentists, doctors

    Received: 30 Jul 2024; Accepted: 30 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wynne, Mwangi, Onifade, Abimbola, Bembridge, Stubbs, Lynagh, Jones, Majeed, Burrows, Sharma, Sunner, Bergmann, Bagade and Malau-Aduli. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Bunmi S. Malau-Aduli, School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, 2308, New South Wales, Australia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.