Leadership development through action learning sets: An evaluation study

This article examines the use of action learning sets in a leadership module delivered by a university in south east England. An evaluation research study was undertaking using survey method to evaluate student engagement with action learning sets, and their value, impact and sustainability. Data were collected through a questionnaire with a mix of Likert-style and open-ended questions and qualitative and quantitative data analysis was undertaken. Findings show that engagement in the action learning sets was very high. Action learning sets also had a positive impact on the development of leadership knowledge and skills and are highly valued by participants. It is likely that they would be sustainable as the majority would recommend action learning to colleagues and would consider taking another module that used action learning sets. When compared to existing literature on action learning, this study offers new insights as there is little empirical literature on student engagement with action learning sets and even less on value and sustainability

Learning about population-health through a community practice learning project: An evaluation study.

Increasing student nurse numbers requiring community placement learning opportunities has led to insufficient numbers of community nurses being available to support student nurses in the community. Although the study presented in the article is based in the UK this issue is reported widely in the literature across the globe. Universities in many countries have had to find innovative ways of providing community health learning opportunities for student nurses. This article reports on how one university in the UK has approached this challenge through students engaging in a population-based study in the community through group work. A research study was undertaken into this innovation which found that the student nurses engaged well with the project and with their groups and undertaking the project had positive value and impact on them and their understanding of population-health. Issues that arose for them largely focused on unequal participation in the group work by some with many participants perceiving that they had done more work on the group project and presentation than others in their group. However, working in this way was perceived to be a good learning experience for the majority of participants

The experiences of student nurses on placements with practice nurses : a pilot study

To prepare the registered nurse of tomorrow in the United Kingdom (UK) to care for patients in general practice (GP)-led services, today's student nurses need to have the opportunity to experience placements with practice nurses to enable them to make positive career choices to become practice nurses in the future. The role of the practice nurse is described in the article. As a pilot project, seventeen students undertook placements with practice nurses in one of seven GP practices selected by the London GP Deanery and the university as having fulfilled the criteria to support student nurses in placements. A mentorship preparation programme was provided to prepare practice nurses for mentoring these students. An evaluation study was undertaken of this pilot project. Findings showed that students were highly positive about the experience; the majority rated this placement as being as good as or better than previous placement experiences. The evaluation also explored the impact on student learning and the value that the placement had. There was a positive impact on students' knowledge and skills in certain clinical areas especially related to health promotion. Students also indicated that they would like to have additional placements with practice nurses and would consider a career as a practice nurse in the future

Student nurse selection and predictability of academic success : the Multiple Mini Interview project

BACKGROUND: With recent reports of public enquiries into failure to care, universities are under pressure to ensure that candidates selected for undergraduate nursing programmes demonstrate academic potential as well as characteristics and values such as compassion, empathy and integrity. The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) was used in one university as a way of ensuring that candidates had the appropriate numeracy and literacy skills as well as a range of communication, empathy, decision-making and problem-solving skills as well as ethical insights and integrity, initiative and team-work. OBJECTIVES: To ascertain whether there is evidence of bias in MMIs (gender, age, nationality and location of secondary education) and to determine the extent to which the MMI is predictive of academic success in nursing. DESIGN: A longitudinal retrospective analysis of student demographics, MMI data and the assessment marks for years 1, 2 and 3. SETTINGS: One university in southwest London. PARTICIPANTS: One cohort of students who commenced their programme in September 2011, including students in all four fields of nursing (adult, child, mental health and learning disability). METHODS: Inferential statistics and a Bayesian Multilevel Model. RESULTS: MMI in conjunction with MMI numeracy test and MMI literacy test shows little or no bias in terms of ages, gender, nationality or location of secondary school education. Although MMI in conjunction with numeracy and literacy testing is predictive of academic success, it is only weakly predictive. CONCLUSIONS: The MMI used in conjunction with literacy and numeracy testing appears to be a successful technique for selecting candidates for nursing. However, other selection methods such as psychological profiling or testing of emotional intelligence may add to the extent to which selection methods are predictive of academic success on nursing

Active involvement of learning disabilities service users in the development and delivery of a teaching session to pre-registration nurses : students' perspectives

A teaching session about service users' experiences of accessing and receiving health and social care was designed and delivered by service users to first year BSc Nursing students. The aim was to enhance students' knowledge, skills and confidence in caring for people with a learning disability. An evaluation research study was undertaking at one university in London into the perceived effectiveness of the teaching session, including students' perceptions of the extent to which the service users' teaching session was useful, the impact of the session, its benefits and challenges and the sustainability of teaching sessions delivered by service users. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. Quantitative analysis was undertaken of Likert-style questions and qualitative analysis was undertaken using the Framework Method. The session impacted on students' knowledge and understanding of people with a learning disability. Students reported that they felt more comfortable and confident interacting with people with a learning disability. In addition, they reflected on their feelings about caring for people with a learning disability

The Snapshot tool: a new form of practice assessment

This article presents a pilot study that was undertaken to test the Snapshot tool-an innovative tool for making judgements about clinical practice performance. An evaluative research design was used. The Snapshot tool was designed and was piloted on two groups of students (n=180; n=152) in a university-based simulation setting. Data were collected through questionnaires containing a mixture of Likert-style and open-ended questions. First-year students found the Snapshot process and criteria to be realistic and relevant/applicable to practice, useful for receiving feedback and for structuring feedback to others, and the Snapshot was largely perceived as more preferable for university-based assessment than Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). Third-year students evaluated the Snapshoot tool in terms of both the Snapshot process (40% of statements made) and the Snapshot criteria used (60% of statements), finding the criteria realistic, appropriate, clear and comprehensive, and the process helpful to their learning, helping them to identify their strengths and weaknesses and helping them to identify specific skills that they need to improve. This article makes a contribution to the clinical assessment agenda for two reasons. Firstly, with the introduction of the use of simulation as part of legitimate clinical practice experience it offers a tool for assessment of students in simulation activities. Secondly, it explores the potential for this tool to be used as a part of the assessment of students during their clinical placements

A foot in two camps: an exploratory study of nurse leaders in universities

BACKGROUND: Nursing education was fully absorbed into universities in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s and thus is a relatively young academic discipline. In contrast to a lively literature on clinical nursing leadership, little attention has been given to the leadership of academic nursing as these roles encompass contract management, research and teaching. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore the scope and meaning of leadership from the experience of nurse leaders in universities in the United Kingdom (UK). DESIGN AND METHODS: The qualitative design used open ended telephone interviews. Interview transcripts were checked with participants. Framework analysis was used for capturing and identifying themes. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of academic nurse leaders (responsible for a School, Department or a Faculty) was identified through the UK Council of Deans of Health. RESULTS: All ten respondents were managing health care portfolios and running departments of various sizes and often with a mix of nursing and other health care disciplines. There was regional and country representation (England, Scotland and Wales) and half the respondents were employed at pre 1992 and half at post 1992 universities (the latter institutions that were previously polytechnics and gained university status in 1992). Three core issues emerged from the data: the leadership context; ways in which the deans articulated their leadership skills and the issue of legitimacy of nursing in higher education. CONCLUSION: Two important issues emerged for nursing deans, firstly the university as a knowledge producer and secondly the need to create strong academic and professional identities. The findings highlight role complexity as academic nurse leaders navigate the dichotomy between the different worlds of the university and health care practice. The legitimacy of nursing as a practice discipline in the university continues to be contested territory. There is an opportunity for nurse leaders to do more to develop a collective narrative about the contribution that academic nursing can make to the quality of the workforce

Nursing students' expectations and experiences of mentorship.

BACKGROUND: The literature related to nursing students' mentorship experiences is surprisingly limited and research findings related to students' experiences of mentorship is often integrated with other components of clinical placement experiences. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to gain a greater understanding of students' expectations and experiences of mentorship and to identify the kind of support provided by the mentor that is most valued by the student, the role of the link lecturer in mentorship and how the university might further enhance the mentorship experience of their students. DESIGN: Mixed-methods exploratory sequential design was used. SETTING: This study was conducted in one university in south west London. PARTICIPANTS: All final year pre-registration nursing students enrolled on a Diploma/BSc in Health Studies course (n=129) were invited to participate. Participation was voluntary resulting in a convenience sample. Fifty-three students completed the questionnaire (response rate=45%). METHODS: The research involved two stages: a semi-structured focus group in the first stage and an online questionnaire in the second. Quantitative analysis was undertaken of Likert-style questions using SPSS version 18 and qualitative analysis was undertaken using the Framework Method. RESULTS: Students' experiences were largely positive. A picture emerged about the most valued mentor activities which included teaching and explaining, support and supervision and encouragement. Students differentiated encouragement from what they labelled as support. Contrary to the literature, the mentor role in practice assessment was not identified as highly important. Support from link lecturers was less well evaluated and students felt that the university needs to support mentors better. CONCLUSION: Students in this university valued the teaching, support and encouragement they received from mentors but the university needs to address ways of strengthening the link lecturer involvement in mentorship which includes the imperative for the university to explore ways of better supporting mentors in their role