Innovation
In order to meet the need for increased community placements we have developed a one week simulated placement with a community nursing focus. This is undertaken by all 1st year undergraduate nurses in the adult field of practice at the end of the academic year. Students will then undertake an actual community placement in year 2 of their programme.
What prompted innovation?
Government policy over the last decade has increasingly focused on care being delivered to patients closer to home. To ensure compassion remains at the forefront of nursing in any health care setting it was considered important to increase student nurse’s exposure to community nursing care. However because of limitations in placing approximately 200 students in a second community placement it was decided to develop a simulated placement.
What makes innovation different?
Whilst students within the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery have been exposed to simulated experiences this is the first simulated placement that has been developed following NMC guidelines (2007)
Changes in practice
Activities within this week differ from more traditional teaching methods by involving students in more interactive experiences. Utilising patient scenarios students are encouraged to develop skills and behaviours in a safe environment and explore how these are transferred to practical situations. Examples include;
- Exploring the skills required to make a comprehensive assessment of the patient requiring nursing care at home
- Adapting wound care and aseptic technique in the home environment
- Developing communication skills of motivational interviewing to influence lifestyle changes
- Promoting communication skills to enable the dying patient and their family to experience a good death
- Assessing a patient with respiratory disease and facilitating effective use of inhaler therapies.
Impact
- Student evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive both for individual sessions and for the placement.
- Students have welcomed the insight into community care and a number have expressed an interest in considering this as a possible career.
Dissemination
- When this simulated placement has been fully completed it is the intention to prepare for publication and conference presentation.
- The development of the community room will hopefully be utilised for simulated activities within other fields of practice both pre-and post-registration.