northern ireland practice and education council for nursing and midwifery information session for...

Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing

and Midwifery

Information session for Practice Education Co-

ordinator posts

Lesley Barrowman

Infrastructure to Support Learning in Practice

The DHSSPS convened a working group to discuss the need for an infrastructure in HSC Trusts to support learning and assessment in practice. The group reported in May 2007. The following are the recommendations contained in the report.


HSC Trusts work in partnership to develop organisational wide infrastructures to ensure consistency in the management of all aspects of practice placement experience

Service and education providers further develop partnerships to promote new ways of working


An individual is employed within HSC Trusts at a strategic level and reporting to the Executive Director of Nursing, who will provide leadership and ensure that there are processes in place to manage and coordinate practice learning to support the achievement of safe and effective care


An individual has the lead role in ensuring that there is appropriate participation in all curriculum development to ensure the demands of the changing context of healthcare delivery are reflected within the various programmes


A robust and effective performance management framework is developed and maintained that will ensure arrangements are in place to meet NMC standards to support learning and assessment in practice across a variety of care settings


Individuals are employed within HSC Trusts for nursing and midwifery practice who can:• provide leadership for education and learning needs• ensure systems are in place to teach, supervise and assess students and support mentors, sign off mentors and practice teachers• assure the quality of practice placements• provide liaison between service and

education programme providers

NMC Standards to Support

Learning and Assessment in

Practice 2008

New framework

Developed to assure the NMC that Developed to assure the NMC that

students undertaking programmes students undertaking programmes

have been supported and provided have been supported and provided

with appropriate supervision and with appropriate supervision and

assessment of competency by assessment of competency by

practitioners with the necessary practitioners with the necessary

knowledge and competenceknowledge and competence

Implemented for students who Implemented for students who

commence programmes from 1 commence programmes from 1

September 2007September 2007

Responsibilities of Trusts

Ensure mentors and practice teachers are Ensure mentors and practice teachers are prepared for their role through an NMC prepared for their role through an NMC approved programme and ensure sign-off approved programme and ensure sign-off mentors meet required standardsmentors meet required standards

Maintain an up to date register of Maintain an up to date register of mentors, sign off mentors and practice mentors, sign off mentors and practice teachers, teachers,

Make provision for annual updating in Make provision for annual updating in collaboration with education providerscollaboration with education providers

Ensure triennial review of Ensure triennial review of mentors/practice teachers takes place mentors/practice teachers takes place (Appraisal of competence)(Appraisal of competence)

Ensure access to support and supervision Ensure access to support and supervision for mentors and practice teachersfor mentors and practice teachers

Responsibilities of Trusts contn.

40% of student’s time is supervised directly 40% of student’s time is supervised directly or indirectly by a mentor/practice teacher or indirectly by a mentor/practice teacher

Mentor/practice teacher requires time with Mentor/practice teacher requires time with the student to engage in learning activitiesthe student to engage in learning activities

Final period of practice learning - one hour Final period of practice learning - one hour per week with sign off mentor in addition to per week with sign off mentor in addition to aboveabove

Mentor will have access to sign off Mentor will have access to sign off mentor/practice teacher for support where mentor/practice teacher for support where students are failingstudents are failing

SEE RESPONSIBILITIES PAPER ON NIPEC SEE RESPONSIBILITIES PAPER ON NIPEC WEB-SITE (NMC STANDARDS PROJECT)WEB-SITE (NMC STANDARDS PROJECT)

Responsibilities of PEC post

The overarching responsibility is The overarching responsibility is to ensure that students are to ensure that students are provided with a high quality provided with a high quality practice learning experience that practice learning experience that enables them to achieve enables them to achieve specified outcomes.specified outcomes.

Responsibilities of the PEC post

This will be achieved through This will be achieved through working to the education lead in working to the education lead in the Trust and working with a the Trust and working with a dedicated team of Practice dedicated team of Practice Education Facilitators with Education Facilitators with designated clerical support.designated clerical support.


The PEC will be required to have a The PEC will be required to have a wide range of skills and knowledge wide range of skills and knowledge related to organisational and related to organisational and management competencies and an in-management competencies and an in-depth understanding of matters depth understanding of matters relating to practice learning for relating to practice learning for students undertaking NMC regulated students undertaking NMC regulated programmes.programmes.


Some of these issues are:Some of these issues are:

• providing leadership, including providing leadership, including development of policies and development of policies and guidelinesguidelines

• securing and maintaining effective securing and maintaining effective practice learning environments for practice learning environments for studentsstudents

• knowledge and understanding of knowledge and understanding of nursing and midwifery programmes, nursing and midwifery programmes,

pre pre and post-registration and post-registration


Issues (cont’d)Issues (cont’d)• liaising with education providers liaising with education providers and and other external agenciesother external agencies

• working with lead nurses and working with lead nurses and midwives midwives across the Trustacross the Trust

• securing and organising practice securing and organising practice placementsplacements

• competence in assessment, competence in assessment, including including managing failing managing failing competencecompetence

• quality assurance of practice quality assurance of practice learning, learning, including placement auditincluding placement audit


Issues (cont’d)Issues (cont’d)

• ensuring mentors are practice ensuring mentors are practice teachers are available to support teachers are available to support and assess studentsand assess students

• maintaining local registers of maintaining local registers of mentors and practice teachers mentors and practice teachers

• supporting mentors and practice supporting mentors and practice teachers with their role in teaching teachers with their role in teaching and supervising in the practice and supervising in the practice setting setting


Issues (cont’d)Issues (cont’d)

• ensuring NMC standards are met in ensuring NMC standards are met in fullfull

• making arrangements for external making arrangements for external review, as requiredreview, as required


The overarching The overarching responsibility is to ensure responsibility is to ensure that students are provided that students are provided with a high quality practice with a high quality practice learning experience that learning experience that enables them to achieve enables them to achieve specified outcomes.specified outcomes.

northern ireland practice and education council for nursing and midwifery information session for...

Documents