What counts as competent? A documentary analysis of minimum clinical hour requirements across four health professions in Aotearoa New Zealand
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Background Minimum clinical hour requirements are a central feature of health professional education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Although these requirements are widely considered as indicators of preparedness and public safety, the rationale for determining the minimum requirement is rarely articulated. Regulatory Authorities operate under the Health Practitioners Competency Act, which requires practitioners to be competent and fit to practice but does not prescribe how competence should be developed or measured. Although these requirements are widely embedded across health professions, their underlying rationale and evidentiary basis are not always clearly articulated. Methods An iterative document audit using qualitative document analysis was conducted. Data were extracted and evaluated using the Currency Relevance Authority Accuracy and Purpose framework. Regulatory standards, policy documents, organisational records, and grey literature were systematically identified and analysed. Results Analysis found that clinical hour requirements are largely historically derived and vary across professions. Nursing and midwifery retain structured hour-based requirements, while physiotherapy has transitioned to a competency-based model without prescribed hours, and occupational therapy aligns with international fieldwork expectations. Conclusion Across professions, there was limited explicit rationale and little empirical evidence linking specific hour thresholds to competence. Regulatory obligations, stakeholder consultation, professional expectations, international standards, and workforce and system constraints shape current requirements more strongly than research evidence.
Source: Research Square
Institution: Auckland University of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204522073