| 34771 |
abstract |
This paper reports the findings of a Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning-funded
project to explore key features of effective support for pre-registration nursing
students in practice settings.
Background
The cultivation of positive practice learning environments for students of nursing,
including high quality learning support, has been long established as a thorny issue
for nurse educators and practitioners. Indeed it was a key theme for the very first
nursing research series, supported by the Royal College of Nursing, in the early 1980’s.
This included Fretwell’s (1982) work on ward teaching and learning, Orton’s (1981)
work on the ward learning environment and Ogier’s (1982) work on the role of the ward
sister. Since then there has been an explosion of research in this area.
As a profession we have a responsibility to ensure high quality learning support for
students in practice settings. If we do not, there will be wide-ranging implications
for the quality of patient care, work-related stress, role satisfaction, retention
and attrition and professional reputation. Given the significant investment in nurse
education and the need to retain nurses in the workforce, it is unsurprising therefore
that the practice learning environment has emerged as a key policy issue in the United
Kingdom and internationally.
Previous research indicates that relationships between the learner and staff are crucial
in supporting learning in practice (Pearcey and Elliott, 2004) and that ‘learning
is maximised when the learner is effectively partnered with a clinician and experiences
are shared’ (Henderson et al., 2009, p.178). In this context, The Programme Tutor
(PT) – a role unique to the pre-registration nursing programme at The Open University
(OU) – is crucial in facilitating learning in the practice setting. The purpose of
the PT role is to work longitudinally with both students and their mentors to support
learning in practice and monitor student progress. The PT therefore plays a pivotal
role in facilitating learning in the practice setting, aspects of which may have potential
for transfer to the wider health education sector.
Objectives
The overall aim of the project was to critically examine the experiences of a sample
of PTs supporting students and mentors on the pre-registration nursing programme at
the OU in order to identify the key features of effective PT practice. These features
would then inform the continuing development of the programme. Two PTs were recruited
as co-researchers on the project, the objectives of which were to:
• Explore PT’s experiences of supporting students and mentors
• Explore PT’s views regarding student progression
• Identify how PTs ‘grow’ into their role
• Identify enabling and disabling factors contributing to role effectiveness
• Examine the boundaries between the role of the PT and mentor
• Explore variations in the PT role across the UK.
Data collection and analysis
A sample of 20 PTs working on the final practice module of the pre-registration nursing
programme, and located across the nations and regions of the UK, was identified. Following
ethical approval, telephone interviews were conducted using an interview guide informed
by both a review of the literature and the experience of the PT co-researchers. Telephone
interviews were used in preference to individual face-to-face interviews in order
to accommodate the dispersed geographical spread of participants. The interviews were
recorded using digital recording equipment and following transcription, conventional
approaches to qualitative data analysis were used to identify common themes across
the data.
The ethical principles of confidentiality, anonymity and informed consent were upheld
throughout the study. The sample was assured that confidentiality would be maintained
at all times throughout the project. Anonymity was protected by using pseudonyms both
for PTs and organisations. Informed consent was gained at the start of the project
and participants were able to withdraw from the project at any stage.
Findings suggest that PTs find their role both rewarding and vital in the context
of creating supportive learning environments and ultimately supporting students’ transition
to become registered practitioners. Being an effective communicator and establishing
and maintaining relationships with students, mentors and service managers was described
as crucial to the success of the role. Understanding the pressures within practice
environments and being able to acknowledge the realities of ‘working at the coalface’
enabled PTs to support both students and mentors in such settings.
Conclusion
This paper will elaborate more fully the findings of the project, illustrated with
reference to verbatim quotes from the data. Although a role unique to the OU pre-registration
nursing programme, there may be aspects of the role which could be transferable to
other practice-based learning settings. This will be interactively debated with conference
delegates.
(word count 800)
References
Fretwell, J. E. (1982) Ward teaching and Learning, Royal College of Nursing, London.
Henderson, A., Twentyman, M., Eaton, E., Creedy, D., Stapleton, P. and Lloyd, B. (2009)
Creating supportive clinical learning environments: an intervention study, Journal
of Clinical Nursing, 19, pp.171-182.
Ogier, M. E. (1981) An ideal sister, Royal College of Nursing, London
Orton, H. D. (1981) Ward learning climate, Royal College of Nursing, London
Pearcey, P. A. and Elliott, B. E. (2004) Student impressions of clinical nursing,
Nurse Education Today, 18, pp.29-31. |
| 34771 |
label |
McDonagh, Lin ; Draper, Jan ; Davies, Gillian; Mowbray, Wendy and Gallagher, Donna
(2010). Working at the coal face: The contribution of Programme Tutors in supporting
practice-based learning in nursing. In: Nurse Education Today Conference, 07-09
Sep 2010, Cambridge. |
| 34771 |
label |
McDonagh, Lin ; Draper, Jan ; Davies, Gillian; Mowbray, Wendy and Gallagher, Donna
(2010). Working at the coal face: The contribution of Programme Tutors in supporting
practice-based learning in nursing. In: Nurse Education Today Conference, 07-09
Sep 2010, Cambridge. |