Reengineering student nurses placements

Reengineering student nurses placements Aim To provide an overview of how placement areas for student nurses have been used differently to provide longer placements and ensure the students experience reflects contemporary, patient focused practice

NN NMC Requirements for the Preregistration Nursing Programme

• 50% per cent of the programme is placement learning • Students need to undertake a minimum of 2300hours of practice learning over 3 years • Placements need to be audited ( at least every 2 years) • Clinical mentors have to undergo a NMC preparation course to enter a mentor register and then meet annual update and triennial review requirements to stay on the mentor register

Context • • • •

2 intakes a years 6 cohorts of students Up to 2000 students at any one time Students studying for different parts of nursing register, child, mental health and adult • Placement circuit which covers geographical area Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster, Bassetlaw and Sheffield. • NHS, Independent and voluntary sectors • Contractual arrangements in place with placement areas and university through commissioners

Placement Plan :6 different placements

Challenges Changing nature of health care provision going forward • Closure of acute services • Development of community services • Shrinkage in placement circuit

Opportunities To utilise a wider range of placements where nurses provide services to patients/clients at different stages of their health/ illness journey However These service may not provide students nurses with a wide range of learning experiences so unable to support long placements or enable the students to achieve all competencies( outlined by the NMC) required for their clinical assessment

DD Development of placement pathways Combining traditional placements with other services ( pathways ) to provide a placement package For Example Orthopaedic ward (10 weeks) during which time student would have 1 week in Xray dept. 2 weeks in theatre and have day visits with specialist nurses and other health care practitioners Pollard C and Hibbert C (2006) Pollard C and Hibbert C ( 2006) Expanding students learning using patient pathways Nursing Standard 19, 2 p40-43

Placement pathways have been developed and reviewed over several years McClimens A , Cheung H and Kenyon L ( 2013) Exploring placement pathways in nurse education British Journal of Nursing 22,1 p8-15

Course Plan :3 Hub and Spoke placements

19 weeks (Sept BSc yr1) Example only

Hub 4 weeks

Spoke 3 weeks

Spoke 1 week

Spoke 3 weeks

Hub 2 weeks

Hub 6 weeks

Eg.Hub and Spoke Experience

Placement dept to allocate to 3 spoke placements out of possible 5 Visits to be organised locally Mental Health Placement Pathway AMHP=Approved Mental Health Professional person. CMHT=Community Mental Health Team.