Support in practice

In line with the Standards framework for nursing and midwifery (2018), the practice organisations have key support teams in place. These may be Practice Education Facilitators (PEF) or Practice Placement Facilitators (PPF) who are on site as part of the practice education support team, and who report to the Clinical Undergraduate and Work Based Learning Development Lead. They have responsibility to support Practice Assessors and Practice Supervisors in the provision of practice learning opportunities for students/learners to meet the proficiencies required within the NMC (2018) Standards of proficiency for Registered Nurses. The practice education teams in the partner organisations work closely with the programme team to ensure quality learning experiences. The Director of Practice Learning has an overview of Quality Assurance (QA), and the Academic Assessors ensure process is adhered to in supporting students’ learning. 

The staffing structure to support learning and assessment in practice

In accordance with the Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment (NMC 2018), the aim of this practice experience model is to ensure you have the support and guidance to empower you to own and direct your learning. We adopt a team approach to practice learning, in which you are the key member. The following structure is in place to support you; this is your learning experience, and you will gain the most by engaging and negotiating with all of the people outlined below. You will undertake planned periods of supervised and assessed practice over the duration of your programme. During each stage, you must complete the formative and summative assessments in order to progress on your programme. 

Academic assessor

A named Academic Assessor will be allocated to you by the Department of Health Sciences for each stage. You will not have the same Academic Assessor for two successive years. This role is essential to ensure the assessment processes are comprehensive and fair. The Academic Assessor will ensure that learning and attainment in practice are clearly relevant to your theoretical learning, to enable you to progress and meet programme requirements. You will meet with your Academic Assessor prior to commencing your practice experience, to identify how you might apply theoretical learning to your practice areas. This meeting will be documented in your EOAR (MYEPAD). Your Academic Assessor will communicate this to the Practice Assessor via the EOAR (MYEPAD) and may also hold telephone and/or face to face discussions. The Academic Assessor will communicate and collaborate with your Practice Assessor, about your achievement of proficiencies and demonstration of professional values , normally at scheduled points during your practice placement. 

Practice assessor

You will have a named Practice Assessor in your base placement, who will be appropriately prepared to support you. The Practice Assessor will have undertaken preparation and regular updating to facilitate student learning, supervise practice and assess a student’s attainment, related to the stated learning outcomes of the programme. Normally the practice area will identify your Practice Assessor for you. Your Practice Assessor will meet with you at the start of your base placement to discuss specific learning goals and how these may be achieved over the stage and programme. You will be assessed formally by your Practice Assessor at specific points, which are identified in your EOAR (MYEPAD). Your Practice Assessor will also liaise with your Academic Assessor with regard to your academic and clinical progress to: 

• a) identify any areas of concern, with which you may require support 

• b) ensure a fully informed and balanced judgement is made at the assessment points c) c) ensure that university and professional processes have been adhered to 

If you have any concerns regarding your practice you should initially raise these concerns with your Practice Assessor in a timely manner. 

If the Practice Assessor cannot remedy your concern then they will then escalate this to the Practice Learning Facilitator (PLF) or Practice Education Facilitator (PEF) , or your nominated person within the PIVO organisations. You should also alert your Practice Supervisor or Practice Assessor to any reasonable adjustments that may be required to support your learning in practice. A reasonable adjustment is a change an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone's disability. For example: making changes to the workplace, changing someone's working arrangements, finding a different way to do something. 

Practice supervisor

In addition to your Practice Assessor, you will spend time with a number of nominated Practice Supervisors, normally identified by the practice areas and your Practice Assessor. These Supervisors will be registered practitioners from nursing and allied health professions who will support your learning in relation to agreed outcomes. Practice Supervisors will have undertaken preparation and regular updating in coaching and facilitating learning of others. Practice Supervisors will document specific skills and outcomes you have been exposed to and will provide feedback to the practice assessor via the E-OAR (MYEPAD); these will contribute to your Practice Assessor’s summative practice assessment decisions. 

Practice learning links: PLL team

The Practice Learning Links (PLL) are The Department also employs a team of Associate Lecturers dedicated to providing you with additional support whilst you are in practice. These lecturers are available through a group email (dohs-pll@york.ac.uk) and are able to respond to student requests at short notice (within usual working hours). They are also available to visit all clinical areas and can offer advice and support on a wide range of practice and programme related issues. Please contact them in the first instance with any practice related questions ; if they are unable to resolve your query immediately, they will refer you accordingly. 

Clinical teaching fellows

Our Clinical Teaching Fellows hold joint appointments between the university and local practice partners. Their role is to support pre-registration nursing students in both academic and clinical environments. 

Electronic Ongoing Achievement Record in Practice (E-OAR) (MYEPAD)

Completion of your E-OAR (MYEPAD) is an essential requirement of your programme and it It is your responsibility to ensure that the necessary Practice aAssessment Documentation is completed in a timely manner, way by the supervisors and others, as this provides the required evidence to enable you to progress. The dates for completion of your Electronic Ongoing Achievement Record are published on the Assessment Schedules. Practice modules are non-reassessable. You are required to pass all summatively assessed elements of the practice module. Where summatively assessed elements of the practice module are incomplete/failed, you will be required to complete a 4-week action plan in either the first 4 weeks of the subsequent placement or during a 4-week ‘retrieval placement’ at the end of each Stage, depending on the specific practice module concerned. Students will be unable to progress to the next year of their programme, or to registration, without meeting all of the stage specific practice assessments outlined in the E-OAR (MYEPAD) within the assessment period.

Before the period of assessed practice 

• a) You should actively consider the summative outcomes (and recommended hours) for each of the practice modules and tentatively identify learning opportunities through which each outcome could be achieved, including the areas you wish to visit. 

• b) You must arrange a meeting with your Academic Assessor, to discuss your goals for this placement, if necessary, they will provide clarification and guidance. 

• c) You must review your practice hours with your Academic Assessor and make a formal plan for retrieval of any accumulated deficit. 

• d) You and your Academic Assessor will also discuss any other information that may be required to effectively support your learning in practice. This might include areas of difficulty or adjustments required related to a declared disability etc. 

• e) You should contact your practice experience area to identify who your Practice Assessor will be and where and when you should arrive on your first day. 

• f) It is good practice to arrange an informal visit prior to beginning a practice experience wherever possible. 

At the start of your practice experience 

• a) On the first day, you and your Practice Assessor (or another member of staff) will meet and complete the initial orientation to placement. 

• b) Normally, after a week, you should meet with your Practice Assessor or a Practice Supervisor for your initial interview, where you will review your Academic Assessor’s comments and agree learning goals. As your learning is overseen by your Practice Assessor, where your initial interview is completed with a Practice Supervisor, your Practice Assessor must confirm that they have reviewed this. With the support of the Practice Assessor, you will identify: What you are going to do to gain this knowledge or skill How you will demonstrate achievement of your learning outcomes and performance criteria Where (in which practice areas) specific aspects will be met. 

• c) You must make your E-OAR available via MYEPAD to your Practice Assessor, Academic Assessor and Practice Supervisors to enable them to document your progress. 

Midway through your practice experience 

• a) You and your Practice Assessor should meet to review general progress and formatively review your professional values, proficiencies and medicines management (as appropriate) and consider any actions required to achieve competence and meet the required hours. 

• b) You have a responsibility to identify areas of difficulty and seek appropriate support from either your Practice Assessor or other staff members. 

• c) If any areas of concern are raised regarding your ability to meet the NMC outcomes, then your Practice Assessor should contact your Academic Assessor or the Practice Learning Links (PLLs) for support. If a formative action plan is required, this should be put in place at the earliest opportunity. This supportive, formative, Action Plan will be developed by you, your Practice Assessor and Academic Assessor and should be reviewed frequently. 

• d) You and your Practice Assessor should arrange a meeting during the final week of your practice experience to ensure that your E-OAR (MYEPAD) will be completed by the submission date. 

During the final week of your practice 

• a) You and your Practice Assessor should meet to evaluate your achievement of the summative requirements, and verify the number of practice hours that you have achieved. 

• b) If it seems likely that you will achieve learning outcomes and placement hours in full, then it is not necessary to involve your Practice Learning Link Associate Lecturer at this point. 

• c) If, however, it seems likely that you will not achieve the outcomes and/or placement hours in full, then your Practice Assessor should contact your Practice Learning Link Associate Lecturer and Academic Assessor. It is your responsibility to complete the E-OAR (MYEPAD), including the Practice Attendance Record, by the completion date shown on your Assessment Schedule. You must also complete the online evaluation of your practice experience. 

Progress Reviews 

There are specific assessment points in your practice experiences. 

• a) Formative episodes of care may be agreed and assessed by Practice Supervisors. 

• b) You and your Practice Assessor should liaise to review general progress, formatively review your professional values, proficiencies and medicines management (as appropriate) and consider any actions required to achieve outcomes and meet the required hours. Liaison with your Academic Assessor will take place via email, telephone or in person. 

• c) You have a responsibility to identify areas of difficulty and seek appropriate support from either your Practice Assessor, Practice Supervisor, Academic Assessor, or the Practice Learning Link Team. If any areas of concern are raised regarding your ability to meet the NMC proficiencies, then your Practice Assessor should contact your Academic Assessor. A formative action plan may be agreed between you, your Practice Assessor and your Academic Assessor. 

Summative Points in your practice 

You and your Practice Assessor should meet to evaluate your achievement of the required summative outcomes and verify that you have achieved the required placement hours. 

• a) You will undertake the summatively assessed Episode of Care with your Practice Assessor at the scheduled point. 

• b) You will be assessed against the specified Professional Values. 

• c) In each stage you will have a summative assessment of Medicines Management and must have met all of the required Stage Proficiencies. 

• d) You are responsible for ensuring the E-OAR (MYEPAD) documentation is completed by your Practice Assessor at that time, to ensure that your E-OAR (MYEPAD) will be completed by the submission date. e) Your Academic Assessor and Practice Assessor will liaise to discuss your progress, agree the outcome of the assessment and complete documentation. 

• f) If it seems likely that you will not achieve the outcomes and/or placement hours in full, then your Practice and Academic Assessors will liaise and advise you on how this will be addressed in the next practice period (the automatic extension period). 

It is your responsibility to complete the E-OAR (MYEPAD), including the Practice Attendance Record and all the summative requirements, by the completion and summative assessment dates shown on your Assessment Schedule. You should also complete the online evaluation of your practice experience.