TY - JOUR
T1 - Opening up pre-registration education for nurses (the OPEN Project): A partnership approach
AU - Swallow, Veronica Mary
AU - Smith, Ann
AU - Shiel, Gillian
AU - Steele, Kathryn
AU - Farrier, Stephen
AU - Herring, Marie
AU - Hickman, Margaret
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - Methods
Using a combination of focus groups and questionnaires, data were obtained from 20 health care assistants/pre-registration nursing students taking part in the OPEN Project, their 20 respective clinical mentors, three National Health Service Trust-based facilitators and three University Tutors. The aim was to evaluate development and delivery of the project by:
•Investigating participants’ perspectives.
•Facilitating a close and continual link between the evaluation and practical action.
Data were analysed using a combination of Framework Technique and descriptive statistics.
Results
The three main emergent themes were: Personal, Professional and Organisational learning. Through a combination of predominantly work based learning, teaching and assessment methods, students were able to demonstrate how they transformed existing knowledge into a usable tool on which to build further learning, while challenging previous assumptions about practice arising from their health care assistant role.
Familiarity with the workplace while in the dual role of student/health care assistant allowed them to explore practice issues and implement changes while also gaining the credit to step onto year two of the Diploma in Nursing Science/Registered Nurse Programme. The main recommendations related to the issues of role identity for the students and infrastructure development in the Trusts and informed further similar projects.
AB - Methods
Using a combination of focus groups and questionnaires, data were obtained from 20 health care assistants/pre-registration nursing students taking part in the OPEN Project, their 20 respective clinical mentors, three National Health Service Trust-based facilitators and three University Tutors. The aim was to evaluate development and delivery of the project by:
•Investigating participants’ perspectives.
•Facilitating a close and continual link between the evaluation and practical action.
Data were analysed using a combination of Framework Technique and descriptive statistics.
Results
The three main emergent themes were: Personal, Professional and Organisational learning. Through a combination of predominantly work based learning, teaching and assessment methods, students were able to demonstrate how they transformed existing knowledge into a usable tool on which to build further learning, while challenging previous assumptions about practice arising from their health care assistant role.
Familiarity with the workplace while in the dual role of student/health care assistant allowed them to explore practice issues and implement changes while also gaining the credit to step onto year two of the Diploma in Nursing Science/Registered Nurse Programme. The main recommendations related to the issues of role identity for the students and infrastructure development in the Trusts and informed further similar projects.
KW - work-based learning
KW - health-care assistant
KW - pre-registration education
U2 - 10.1016/j.nepr.2006.04.012
DO - 10.1016/j.nepr.2006.04.012
M3 - Article
SN - 1471-5953
VL - 7
SP - 141
EP - 149
JO - Nurse Education in Practice
JF - Nurse Education in Practice
IS - 3
ER -