Innovation
In conjunction with the Scottish Government, an honours/TPG route (one year full-time) was developed and offered to our newly qualified nursing/midwifery students as they completed their undergraduate programme. This provided us with an opportunity to not only challenge the students further academically but consider how the modules would enhance their future employability potential and contribution to the NHS.
Students undertook a 60 credit honours project. We liaised with Clinical Governance in two NHS trusts to facilitate student projects which were based in clinical practice, used the quality improvement methodology and evaluated important issues within different areas of practice. Projects included: auditing breast feeding practices among women in a post natal unit and staff attitudes to breast feeding, an evaluation of a new standardised early warning system to detect the deteriorating patient in an acute receiving unit, a staff perspective of barriers to GP use by men with learning disabilities and a forensic background and an audit of an integrated care pathway for the dying patient.
What prompted innovation?
The students were qualified and undertaking the programme full-time. I wanted to foster a theory to practice environment but one which was directly applicable to the skills necessary in an NHS environment. There was concerns that as they were newly qualified they would be disadvantaged in applying for their first post alongside those who went straight into practice. I wanted to maximise their opportunities for employment
What makes innovation different?
In many universities students undertake an extended literature review or develop research proposals which are not undertaken. By collaborating closely with NHS Clinical Governance and the clinical areas, the student gained skills which could only be gained by the innovation including: communication, teamwork, importance of quality improvement data to inform patient care, time management skills and the application of ethical principles.
Changes in practice
All the results will be fed back through clinical governance. In addition a number of honours students are working with supervisors to disseminate their work through publication.
Impact
Comments from External Examiner
“The projects are of a high standard and students and their supervisors should be congratulated as their work is an excellent reflection on all the hard work and determination these students have undertaken in order to critically examine nursing practice.
Notably, the writing style of all of the students is to a very high standard and it is a real joy to read such informative pieces of work. I hope the students manage to disseminate their findings, especially to practitioners and hope they have the time to consider publishing their work”.
“Without being too effusive, I found this work to be an exceptionally valuable and worthwhile project conducted to an exceptionally high standard”. (This was evaluation of a new standardised early warning system to detect the deteriorating patient in an acute receiving unit).
Student feedback
All the 10 students who completed have got jobs. A number commented that they discussed their project work in their interviews. They were able to demonstrate a good understanding of the quality improvement processes in the NHS and how they could contribute further to this as they took up their first posts.
Dissemination
- A module report has been submitted.
- Feedback from the external was shared with all the project supervisors.
- The programme is due to run again in September 2013 and we will build on the relationships we have established and offer clinically based projects to the new students.
- Two midwifery students presented their breast feeding audit findings to the clinical area and wider multi-professional team and received good feedback