A wide range of roles support student learning and there are prescribed professional and educational requirements for some of these (Glen and Parker, 2003; NMC, 2006). This ensures that professionals who guide students’ learning and assess students’ performance have appropriate experience as nurses or midwives; and have studied the relevant educational principles.
Mentors
Within practice areas each student must be allocated a mentor (NMC, 2006). Mentors facilitate students’ learning by providing or highlighting appropriate learning opportunities and assess the students’ practice, taking responsibility for identifying whether prescribed or negotiated outcomes have been achieved. The mentor must indicate whether he or she considers the student fit to practise. The NMC requires particularly experienced ‘sign-off mentors’ to be allocated to students for their final practice experience.
Practice teachers
Practice teachers have been introduced for programmes that enable students to register as a specialist community public health nurse from September 2008 (NMC, 2006). This 462 ❘ Teaching in the disciplines
role encompasses that of mentor and sign-off mentor and, additionally, coordinating a group of mentors and student experiences.
Practice facilitators/educators
Practice educators are practitioners employed by NHS trusts and/or universities. The intention is that the practice educator is both clinically competent and familiar with students’ educational programmes. The role is focused upon the theory–practice link and learning from practice experiences. Practice educators support both students and mentors and maintain close contact with the university staff responsible for managing and developing practice placements.
Lecturer practitioner
Lecturer practitioner roles are a combination of the practice educator and traditional lecturer role. They were developed as a link between trusts and universities and were seen as a useful ‘stepping stone’ for those who wished to move from practice into education.
Many found the breadth and conflicting demands of the lecturer practitioner role difficult to manage and these positions are less popular than they once were.
Lecturers/tutors
University lecturers have multifaceted roles. For example, they deliver the theory-based teaching and assessment in students’ programmes and relate this to practice. They link with service delivery settings, supporting students, mentors and their line managers, and supporting practice development. Lecturers act as personal tutors to students.
They also engage in curriculum development, scholarship and research. Most lecturers in schools of nursing and midwifery are nurses or midwives, but lecturers from other disciplines are also employed to provide complementary expertise and alternative perspectives.
University-based specialist learning services
An increasing range of specialist posts that support student learning are emerging (see Chapter 9). These include library staff with expertise to support PBL/EBL, technology (IT) and media resources staff who help students harness the power of newer technologies, and tutors offering language and learning skills support. Actors, artists, poets or writers in residence are increasingly employed to improve the quality of student learning.
Nursing and midwifery ❘ 463
Organisations that support learning
The Higher Education Academy (2007) exists to help institutions, discipline groups and higher education staff in the UK to provide the best possible learning experience for their students. It has a particularly relevant subject centre for nursing and midwifery educators: the Centre for Health Sciences and Practice (2007). It also links together the work of 74 Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs, 2007). There are several health-related CETLs, including some that focus on interprofessional learning, e-learning or professionalism. For those interested in researching their educational practice, useful information and contacts may be obtained from the British Educational Research Association (BERA, 2007). BERA contains a number of special interest groups (SIGs), including one for learning in the professions. Interprofessional learning has a particular champion in CAIPE (UK Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education, 2007).
OVERVIEW
This chapter has discussed key aspects of teaching, learning and assessment in nursing and midwifery. It considered the context of education, the required knowledge, skills and attitudes, strategies used to develop professional expertise and the range of roles that support learning. In a single chapter it is not possible to provide more than a glimpse of these issues; those who are interested are invited to follow up some of the references and suggestions for further reading.
REFERENCES
Barber, G, Borders, K, Holland, B and Roberts, K (1997) ‘Life span forum: an interdisciplinary training experience’, Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, 18(1): 47–59.
Barr, H, Hammick, M, Freeth, D, Koppel, I and Reeves, S (2000) Evaluations of Interprofessional Education: A United Kingdom Review for Health and Social Care, London: CAIPE/BERA.
Barr, H, Koppel, I, Reeves, S, Hammick, M and Freeth, D (2005) Effective Interprofessional Education: Argument, Assumption and Evidence, Oxford: Blackwell.
464 ❘ Teaching in the disciplines
Interrogating practice
• Which roles support student learning in your educational programmes?
• How are people prepared for their roles?
• How does your role complement the role of others?
British Educational Research Association (BERA) (2007) ,www.bera.ac.uk.(accessed 31 July 2007).
Bruner, J (1966) Towards a Theory of Instruction, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
CAIPE (UK Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education) (2007) ,www.caipe.org.uk .(accessed 31 July 2007).
Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) (2007) ,www.hefce.ac.uk/
learning/tinits/cetl.(accessed 31 July 2007).
Centre for Health Sciences and Practice (2007) ,www.health.heacademy.ac.uk.(accessed 31 July 2007).
Cooke, S, Chew-Graham, C, Boggis, C and Wakefield, A (2003) ‘I never realised that doctors were into feelings too: changing students’ perceptions through interprofessional education’, Learning in Health and Social Care, 2(3): 137–146.
Dienst, E and Byl, N (1981) ‘Evaluation of an educational program in health care teams’, Journal of Community Health, 6(4): 282–298.
DoH (2000) A Health Service of All the Talents, London: Department of Health.
DoH (2001) Working Together, Learning Together: A Framework for Lifelong Learning for the NHS, London: Department of Health.
DoH (2004) Choosing Health: Making Healthy Choices Easier, London: Department of Health.
DoH (2006) Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: Making it Happen, London: Department of Health.
Dewey, J (1938) Experience and Education, New York: Macmillan.
DIPEx (2007) ,www.dipex.org.(accessed 31 July 2007).
ENB and DoH (2001) Placements in Focus: Guidance for Education in Practice for Healthcare Professions, London: English National Board for Nursing and Midwifery/Department of Health.
Freeth, D, Hammick, M, Reeves, S, Koppel, I and Barr, H (2005) Effective Interprofessional Education: Development, Delivery and Evaluation, Oxford: Blackwell.
Freeth, D, Reeves, S, Goreham, C, Parker, P Haynes, S and Pearson, S (2001) ‘Real life clinical learning on an interprofessional training ward’, Nurse Education Today, 21: 366–372.
Gannon, F, Draper, P, Watson, R, Proctor, S and Norman, I (2001) ‘Putting portfolios in their place’, Nurse Education Today, 21: 534–540.
General Medical Council (GMC) (2003) Tomorrow’s Doctors, London: GMC.
Glen, S and Leiba, T (eds) (2002) Multi-professional Learning for Nurses: Breaking the Boundaries, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Glen, S and Parker, P (eds) (2003) Supporting Learning in Nursing Practice: A Guide for Practitioners, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Hayward, K (2005) ‘Facilitating interdisciplinary practice through mobile service provision to the rural adult’, Geriatric Nursing, 26(1): 29–33.
Higher Education Academy (2007) ,www.heacademy.ac.uk.(accessed 31 July 2007).
Hodgson, P (2000) Clinical Placements in Primary and Community Care Project, Leeds: National Health Service Exectutive.
Jarvis, P (1987) Adult Learning in the Social Context, London: Croom Helm.
Jasper, M (1999) ‘Nurses’ perceptions of the value of written reflection’, Nurse Education Today, 19: 452–463.
Kolb, D (1984) Experiential Learning, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
National Library for Health (2007) ,www.library.nhs.uk.(accessed 31 July 2007).
Nursing and midwifery ❘ 465
Nelson, D and Blenkin, C (2007) ‘The power of online role-play simulations: technology in nursing education’, International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 4: Article 1 Epub.
Nicol, M (2002) ‘Taking account of the starting point of students in a large group of learners with varied backgrounds and experience’, in S Ketteridge, S Marshall and H Fry (eds), The Effective Academic(pp. 186–188), London: Kogan Page.
Nicol, M and Freeth, D (1998) ‘Assessment of clinical skills: a new approach to an old problem’, Nurse Education Today, 18: 601–609.
Nicol, M and Glen, S (eds) (1999) Clinical Skills in Nursing: The Return of the Practical Room?, Basingstoke: Macmillan.
NMC (2004a) Standards of Proficiency for Pre-registration Nursing Education, London: Nursing and Midwifery Council.
NMC (2004b) Standards of Proficiency for Pre-registration Midwifery Education, London: Nursing and Midwifery Council.
NMC (2006) Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice – NMC Standards for Mentors, Practice Teachers and Teachers, London: Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Ponzer, S, Hylin, U, Kusoffsky, A and Lauffs, M (2004) ‘Interprofessional training in the context of clinical practice: goals and students’ perceptions on clinical education wards’, Medical Education, 38: 727–736.
Reeves, S and Freeth, D (2002) ‘The London training ward: an innovative interprofessional initiative’, Journal of Interprofessional Care, 16: 41–52.
UKCC (1999) Fitness for Practice: The UKCC Commission for Nursing and Midwifery Education, London: UKCC.
Wahlstrừm, O and Sandộn, I (1998) ‘Multiprofessional training at Linkửping University: early experience’, Education for Health, 11: 225–231.
FURTHER READING
Cheetham, G and Chivers, G (2005) Professions, Competence and Informal Learning, Cheltenham:
Edward Elgar. Shows the development and application of a multifaceted model of professional competence which may help you to think about the different types of competences your curricula will aim to develop.
Freeth, D et al. (2005) See above. Looks in detail at the development, delivery and evaluation of interprofessional education.
Higgs, J and Jones, M (eds) (2000) Clinical Reasoning in the Health Professions (2nd edn), Oxford:
Butterworth-Heinemann. An edited collection exploring the nature of clinical reasoning in the health professions and strategies for assisting learners.
Jacques, D and Salmon, G (2007) Learning in Groups: A Handbook for Face-to-face and Online Environments(4th edn), Abingdon: Routledge. An authoritative and practical guide for those wishing to develop their skills for supporting learning in groups (face-to-face or online).
Light, G and Cox, R (2001) Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: The Reflective Professional, London: Paul Chapman. Provides insightful scholarly analysis and practical advice.
466 ❘ Teaching in the disciplines
Part 3
Enhancing personal practice
Enhancing
personal practice
Establishing teaching and learning credentials
Heather Fry and Steve Ketteridge