University set designated activities
Pre-practice learning activities including practice information
The University has set designated activities and it is essential that you complete these prior to commencing your PLE. Information about your PLE that will help you to complete these activities will be available via your University electronic platforms. These pre placement learning activities focus on the nature of the care area, the practice placement profile, the service user, and the nature of common conditions that may be encountered. These activities will enable you to identify potential learning opportunities thereby facilitating the development of a learning plan to achieve the required proficiencies, skills and procedures whilst within the practice learning environment. These pre-practice activities will be documented as complete by a practice supervisor in the PAD once you commence your PLE.
Orientation and Preliminary Meeting: orientation and induction to practice learning environment
Your preliminary meeting must include completion of the checklist of topics of discussion. This should take place within the first 48 hours of starting your PLE. As part of this conversation, your supervisor/assessor will familiarise you with the practice learning environment and review your previous learning development plans. This will give you the opportunity to identify the range of learning available.
Your supervisor/assessor must record this in your PAD. At this point, you should agree and document the dates for your interim feedback meeting and final assessment.
It is also helpful to review any NMC Proficiencies, communication and relationship management skills and nursing procedures and learning outcomes that you think may be met in the PLE.
You must ensure that you add your practice supervisor(s) and practice assessors details as required within the Access Management tab.
Interim feedback meeting – practice supervisor and/or assessor and student
You should plan to meet with your supervisor/assessor regularly to discuss your progress and to review your learning plan. You should reflect on your progress regularly and this will inform your interim feedback meeting.
Your interim feedback meeting is formative, documented and signed by you, your supervisor and/or assessor in the PAD.
Situations may arise when your supervisor or assessor raises concerns about your knowledge, proficiency, professionalism or fitness to progress. The NMC Code reminds registrants of their professional accountability and responsibilities and your practice supervisors would be expected to “appropriately raise and respond to student conduct and competency concerns”.
It is important that you speak with your supervisor and/or assessor and your academic assessor to work collaboratively to address any issues.
It is your responsibility, in collaboration with your practice assessor, to ensure the completion and documentation of your summative assessment of performance. This should be completed during the last few days of the PLE. Your practice assessor will review your progress and in collaboration with your academic assessor will identify evidence to support their professional judgement. Others who have supported your learning will be asked to provide evidence to develop your assessment. You should seek feedback from service users/carers to inform your learning and development.
Following this assessment, you should reflect on your progress and document this along with your learning needs and use this to inform your Learning Development Plan in your next PLE.
The NMC Standards Framework for Nursing and Midwifery Education values the role of service users, carers and professional colleagues in assessment of your practice learning and advocate their involvement in the assessment process. As such, we would encourage you to consider feedback received from these individuals when reviewing your performance with your practice supervisors and take cognisance of this when preparing to discuss your final written performance assessment with your practice assessor. You and your practice supervisors should seek feedback from service users and carers on your abilities in relation to how you communicate, how you respect the service user as an individual and the care that you provided.
Please note the following guidance:
Please also refer to the NHS Education for Scotland (NES) document Evaluation of Current Practices to Involve Service Users and Carers in Practice Assessment in 11 Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in Scotland.