Monitoring and Enhancing the Placement Learning Context.
The Department of Health (2004), through Skills for Health, introduced a new framework to monitor and enhance the quality of practice placement learning activity, which forms the basis of this team`s activity (Ongoing Quality Monitoring and Enhancement - OQME).
Our work has contributed to the development of national thinking and subsequent standard setting. Piloting a tool (in conjunction with the South West Peninsula Strategic Health Authority) to support those standards has been undertaken with Higher Education Institutions and placement providers in Devon and Cornwall. The outcomes have captured the interest of many stakeholders in England, and we have become the national demonstration site for a web-based platform.
From this activity, numerous examples of excellent practice have been identified. These have been disseminated across the locality, at conferences, and with academic, practice and regulatory bodies` communities.
The process has already enhanced considerably our relationship with placement providers and the Strategic Health Authority, and has had an impact on student support. Next, our focus is upon the implementation of new systems and processes to manage this activity. In parallel, we aim to continue communicating and sharing nationally our successes and challenges through a range of media including electronic means, face-to-face dialogue and written articles.
Long term, our activity aims to reduce the burden of data collection for quality monitoring purpose while capturing and sharing excellence in placement learning.
Our work with auditing and enhancing the placement learning has informed our student support practices at the Faculty, and we are currently running a research project evaluating the implementation of Placement Development Teams (PDT). The PDTs consist of a half-time lecturer in each Trust working with a team of academics and practice personnel to develop more effective means of supporting pre-registration students and their mentors from multiple disciplines in their practice placements.
For further information, please contact:
Val Heath on 01752 586712 or email val.heath@plymouth.ac.uk or
Dr Graham R Williamson on 01752 587476 or email graham.r.williamson@plymouth.ac.uk
Publications:
Williamson G.R, Heath V, Ballantyne L, Callaghan L, Webster D and Hunter C (2008): Improving Student Support in Professional Placement Learning: Findings from the South West Peninsula Pilot of a New English National Placement Quality Assurance and Enhancement Process. The Open Nursing Journal 2008, 2, 21-27 21.1874 - 1346/08.
Conference Papers:
Ongoing Quality Monitoring and Enhancement Pilot Evaluation (Student Support)
1. Sharing Good practice in Healthcare Education Conference. Skills For Health, London. March 20 2007. Concurrent session speaker.
2. University of Plymouth Placement and work experience group conference. May 4 2007. Concurrent session speaker.
3. University of Plymouth Vice chancellor`s teaching and Learning conference. June 28 2007. Concurrent session speaker.
4. European Dietetics Network Conference. University of Plymouth. September 6 2007. Concurrent session speaker.
Improving student support in professional placement learning: lessons from the South West peninsula pilot of a new national process
1. University of Plymouth Vice Chancellors teaching and Learning Conference. June 30 2006. Concurrent session speaker.
2. ASET Annual Conference 2006. The Placement & Employability Professionals Conference. 5-7 September 2006, Birmingham. Concurrent session speaker