Understanding Supervision and Assessment in Nursing

Áine Feeney, Su Everett

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781526489555
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Nursing

A practical guide for registered nurses in all fields, who are planning to undertake one of the new supervisor or assessor roles outlined in the latest NMC standards.

The book helps nurses prepare for the role of practice supervisor, practice assessor or academic assessor, by outlining what is expected in each of the roles, in accordance with the 2018NMC standards, and explaining which competencies are needed to ensure success in the new supervisory and academic positions. These competencies include:

· Understanding how students learn

· Understanding how to empower nurses and why this is important

· Learning to utilise student feedback to enhance your own development

· Identifying the importance of including the participation of service users in nursing governance and quality

· Ensuring compliance with all legal, regulatory, professional and educational requirements.

It will also be useful for experienced NMC mentors and practitioners looking to update their skills for the new NMC Educational Framework.

1 Introduction to the 2018 NMC Standards for Nurses and Midwives

Aims of this chapter

• To understand the different components of the NMC Standards of proficiency for registered nurses
• To develop an initial understanding of the five headings used in the Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education
• To understand the key titles and roles within student practice learning
• To develop an initial understanding of the Standards for student supervision and assessment.

Introduction

In 2018 the Nursing and Midwifery Council produced new standards of proficiency for registered nurses. These were outlined in two sets of standards. The first set are Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses which detail the knowledge, skills and attributes students need to demonstrate in order to successfully become registered nurses. The second set of standards provides an education framework called Realising Professionalism: Standards for Education and Training. This sets the standards required for education and training (NMC, 2018a) and is to be utilised by Approved Education Institutes (AEIs) in conjunction with practice placement and work placed partners to ensure that the quality of training meets the NMC’s standards.

This book has been written for anyone who is new to the 2018 NMC Standards with an involvement in student practice learning. It provides a short introduction that seeks to elaborate on the standards and provide some guidance on how they can be implemented effectively. It focuses on practice learning so will be useful for anyone taking on a supervision role for the first time or those looking to quickly understand the new system of practice learning. The book focuses primarily on practice learning of pre-registration student nurses, although much of the discussion will be equally relevant for other health professions.

There are three parts to Realising Professionalism: Standards for Education and Training which must be utilised together. These are:

• Part 1: Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education (NMC, 2018a)
• Part 2: Standards for student supervision and assessment (NMC, 2018b)
• Part 3: Programme standards (NMC, 2018c).

Parts 1 and 2 are most relevant for practice supervisors and assessors and we will now provide a short overview of these to help contextualise the subsequent chapters. Abridged versions of both these documents are available in the appendix section at the back of the book.

Part 1: Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education

The NMC has broken the standards framework down into five headings (see Figure 1.1) which outline the requirements of all teaching programmes approved by the NMC. These headings apply to the theoretical learning and learning in the practice placement and workplaced areas.

Figure 1.1 The five headings of the Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education

The following activity will help you reflect on the headings used by the NMC.

Activity 1.1

Reflection on the Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education

Write short notes on each heading setting out what you think each one means.

In the NMC’s Standards framework each heading addresses an aspect of education (NMC, 2018a). This book has taken each heading separately and focused a chapter on it, discussing the NMC requirements and how these should be addressed in approved educational institutes and practice-based learning. We will now briefly describe each of the five headings in turn.

Heading 1: learning culture

Standards

• S1.1 Learning culture prioritises the safety of people including carers, students and educators, and enables the values of The Code to be upheld (NMC, 2018a).
• S1.2 Education and training is valued in all learning environments (NMC, 2018a).

What do these standards mean?

Heading 1 asks educational institutes and practice placements and work placed learning partners to put the safety of the people we care for at the forefront. It emphasises the importance of students and educators recognising and raising concerns, encouraging an open and honest environment. This emphasises health professionals’ duty of candour which involves being transparent about mistakes to service users. It also links to whistleblowing and raising concerns.

This heading says that a learning culture should be diverse and free of discrimination. Feedback should be sought from students, educators and service users and acted upon. Education institutes, practice placements and work placed learning partners should all collaborate to ensure that inter-professional learning is embraced and opportunities to work together to improve education and service provision should be sought through evidence-based research.

Heading 2: educational governance and quality

Standards

• S2.1 Approved education institutions and their practice placement and work placed partners have effective governance systems that ensure compliance with all legal, regulatory, professional and educational requirements, with clear lines of responsibility and accountability for meeting those requirements and responding when standards are not met (NMC, 2018a).
• S2.2 Approved education institutions and their practice placement and work placed partners optimise safety and ensure quality, taking account of the diverse needs of, and working in partnership with, students, service users, carers and all other stakeholders (NMC, 2018a).

What do these standards mean?

The NMC states that approved education institutes and practice placement and work based learning partners communicate with each other and share responsibility for the delivery, development and evaluation of programmes. There should be fairness and transparency in the selection and recruitment of students, and impartial fitness to practise procedures for students.

A safe environment should be provided for learning, and this should safely provide learning opportunities and practical experience for students. To ensure quality and safety of programmes these should adhere to standards and requirements set by the NMC, and suitably qualified and experienced people should be programme leaders delivering this learning.

Heading 3: student learning and empowerment

Standards

• S3.1 Students are provided with a variety of learning opportunities and appropriate resources which enable them to achieve their learning outcomes, NMC proficiencies and be capable of demonstrating the professional behaviours in The Code (NMC, 2018a).
• S3.2 Students are empowered and supported to become resilient, caring, reflective and lifelong learners who are capable of working in inter-professional and multi-agency teams (NMC, 2018a).

What do these standards mean?

Students should be supported through theory and practice, with inductions, timely information on practice placements and curriculum, and assessments all provided. Students should be allocated and have access to a nominated practice assessor and nominated academic assessor for each programme.

Students should be empowered by approved education institutes, practice placement and work placed learning partners. They should be encouraged to be responsible for their well-being and protec-ted from behaviour which undermines their physical and mental health.

Heading 4: educators and assessors

Standards

• S4.1 Theory and practice learning and assessment are facilitated effectively and impartially by appropriately qualified and experienced profes-sionals with necessary expertise for their educational roles (NMC, 2018a).

What does this standard mean?

All educators and assessors must act as role models and adhere to the NMC requirements. They should have access to ongoing training and induction. They should have supported time and resources to fulfil their roles. They should have access to feedback from students about their roles.

Heading 5: curricula and assessment

Standards

• S5.1 Curricula and assessments are developed, implemented and reviewed to ensure that students achieve the learning outcomes and NMC proficiencies for their approved programme (NMC, 2018a).

What does this standard mean?

The curriculum should adhere to NMC requirements. The curriculum should be structured, developing in complexity. Assessments should be reliable and valid. Assessment in practice is based on indirect and direct observation. Students should receive objective feedback in theory and practice during their programmes.

Part 2: Standards for student supervision and assessment (NMC 2018b)

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has produced a second document on guidance for standards for education and training (NMC, 2018b). This has created new titles and roles: ‘practice assessor’ instead of ‘mentor’, ‘practice supervisor’ and finally the ‘academic assessor’ which is similar to ‘programme leader’. Nursing students will be assigned to practice and academic assessors who are registered nurses with appropriate equivalent experience for the student’s field of practice (NMC, 2018b). Midwifery students will be assigned to practice and academic assessors who are registered midwives (NMC, 2...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Acknowledgements
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• About the Authors
• Authors’ acknowledgements
• Publisher’ s acknowledgements
• 1 Introduction to the 2018 NMC Standards for Nurses and Midwives
• 2 Understanding the different roles within practice education
• 3 Understanding the curriculum and supporting students through assessment
• 4 Enabling an effective learning culture
• 5 Educational governance and quality
• 6 Student empowerment
• Appendix 1 Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education
• Appendix 2 Standards for student supervision and assessment
• References
• Index