Australian Critical Care (2007) 20, 89—99 Key stakeholders’ expectations of educational outcomes from Australian critical care nursing courses: A Delphi study Andrea P. Marshall RN, MN(Res) a,* , Judy Currey RN, PhD b,1 , Leanne M. Aitken RN, PhD c,2 , Doug Elliott RN, PhD d,3 a Critical Care Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery (MO2), The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia b School of Nursing, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Vic. 3125, Australia c Critical Care Nursing, Research Centre for Clinical Practice Innovation, Griffith University & Princess Alexandra Hospital, Nursing Practice Development Unit, Building 18, Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, Qld. 4102, Australia d Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, The University of Technology, Sydney, P.O. Box 222, Lindfield, NSW 2070, Australia Received 19 March 2007; received in revised form 29 May 2007; accepted 29 May 2007 KEYWORDS Critical care nursing; Delphi technique; Educational outcomes; Postgraduate education Summary Background: Educational preparation for critical care nursing in Australia varies con- siderably in terms of the level of qualification resulting in a lack of clarity for key stakeholders about student outcomes. Objectives: The study aim was to identify and reach consensus regarding the desired learning outcomes from Australian post-registration critical care education programs as demonstrated through the graduate’s knowledge, skills and attitudes. Design: A Delphi technique was used to establish consensus between educators, managers, clinicians and students regarding learning outcomes expected of gradu- ates with a Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master level qualification in critical care nursing. Participants: A total of 164 critical care nurses (66 clinicians, 48 educators, 32 man- agers and 18 students) participated and 99 questionnaires were returned in the first ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +61 2 9351 0638; fax: +61 2 9351 0615. E-mail addresses: amarshall@nursing.usyd.edu.au (A.P. Marshall), judy.currey@deakin.edu.au (J. Currey), l.aitken@griffith.edu.au (L.M. Aitken), doug.elliott@uts.edu.au (D. Elliott). 1 Tel.: +61 3 9244 6122; fax: +61 3 9244 6159. 2 Tel.: +61 7 3240 7256; fax: +61 7 3240 7356. 3 Tel.: +61 2 9514 5720; fax: +61 2 9514 5049. 1036-7314/$ — see front matter © 2007 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Australia (a division of Reed International Books Australia Pty Ltd). All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.aucc.2007.05.001