Briefing session on the NMC Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice

1
Briefing session on the NMC Standards to Support
Learning and Assessment in Practice

• 10.00 Welcome and Introductions
• 10.10 The purpose of the session
• 10.20 NMC Competencies and outcomes for a
  mentor
• 10.40 Introduction to the role of the Sign Off
  mentor.
• 10.55 What does this mean to you?
• 11.30 - Reflection on current competencies, self
  assessment.
• 12.00 How to implement these Standards in
  Practice
• 12.30 UWE Student passport briefing
• 13.30 - Summary of the session and evaluations

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NMC Competence and Outcomes for a Mentor
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Establishing Effective Working Relationships

• Mutual trust and respect
• Integrate students into practice settings
• Supporting transition between learning
  environments

4
FACILITATION OF LEARNING

• Map students stage of learning to the placement
  learning opportunities
• Link theory/practice gap
• Support students to critically reflect

5
ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• Professional growth, personal development and
  accountability
• Assessment skills and managing the Failing
  student

6
EVALUATION OF LEARNING

• Evaluate your own practice
• Develop own practice and that of others

7
CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING

• Support students with their learning needs
• Review learning environment and enhance as
  required
• Act as a resource for others

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CONTEXT OF PRACTICE

• Contribute to an effective practice environment
• Set and maintain professional boundaries
• Ensure an effective learning environment is
  maintained

9
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

• Identify and apply to your area of practice
• Support students in applying this to their own
  practice

10
LEADERSHIP

• Plan to meet student needs
• Be an advocate for students
• Prioritise work to accommodate supporting
  students
• Constructive feedback

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Sign Off Mentor

• An introduction to the role

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2.1.3 Criteria for a sign-off mentor
Only sign-off mentors and practice teachers that
are on the same part of the register and in the
same field of practice may confirm to the NMC
that students have met the relevant standards of
proficiency for the particular programme leading
to registration or a qualification that is
recordable on the NMC register.
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Your employer as the placement provider must
ensure that the mentor designated to sign-off
proficiency for a particular student at the end
of a programme is

• Identified on the local register as a sign-off
  mentor or a practice teacher.
• Registered on the same part of the register.
• Working in the same field of practice as that in
  which the student
• intends to qualify.
• And Additionally to be a Sign Off
  Mentor.................

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• You must have
• Clinical currency and capability in the students
  field of practice.
• Met the NMC requirements to remain on the local
  register.
• Been supervised on at least three occasions (by
  an existing sign-off mentor or practice teacher)
  for signing off proficiency at the end of a final
  placement.
• A working knowledge of current programme,
  practice assessment and relevant changes in
  education and practice for the student they are
  assessing.
• An understanding of the NMC registration
  requirements and the contribution they make to
  meeting these requirements.
• An in-depth understanding of their accountability
  to the NMC for the decision they make to pass or
  fail a student.

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Confirmation of proficiency

• The sign-off mentor, is responsible and
  accountable for making the final sign-off in
  practice confirming that a student has
  successfully completed all practice requirements.
  
• This confirmation will contribute to the
  portfolio of evidence considered by the AEIs
  examination or assessment board.

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Expectations of a Mentor/Sign Off Mentor

• NMC requirements

• Advice and guidance

The NMC has identified progression points
where confirmation is required that students have
met specified outcomes and competencies.
Student may not progress past these points
without a formal decision that they have met the
outcomes or competencies of a previous part of
the programme
A mentor may confirm achievement of competencies,
including those to be achieved at, or by, a
progression point. Only a sign-off mentor, who
has met the additional criteria, may sign-off
proficiency at the end of a final period of
practice learning.
All mentors may assess specific competencies
throughout the programme.
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NMC requirements Advice and guidance
It is important that mentors have an audit trail
to support their decisions. Throughout a
placement the mentor should ensure that regular
feedback is given to the student and that records
are kept of guidance given.

• Mentors must keep sufficient records
• to support and justify their decisions
• on whether a student is, or is not,
• competent/proficient.

• .

In the final placement of a pre-registration,
mentors are required to be either a sign-off
mentor, or supported by a sign-off mentor or
a practice teacher, in order to make final
decisions on proficiency.
Mentors are responsible and accountable for
making decisions on the students achievement of
outcomes and competencies..
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NMC requirements Advice and guidance

• Sign-off mentors must have time
• allocated to reflect, give feedback
• and keep records of student
• achievement in their final period of
• practice learning. This will be the
• equivalent of an hour per student
• per week. This time is in addition to
• the 40 of the students time to be
• supervised by a mentor

Sign-off mentors will require allocated time to
ensure that students have effective feedback on
their performance so that the ultimate decision
on their proficiency is not unexpected.
Only sign-off mentors, who have met the
additional criteria, must sign-off achievement of
proficiency at the end of the programme, unless
the mentor is being supervised by a sign-off
mentor or practice teacher who should countersign
that the proficiency has been achieved by
the student.
The final assessment of proficiency draws on
evidence of assessment over a sustained period of
time. The sign-off mentor may use the student
passport and other evidence to see if competence
has been achieved and maintained previously, as
well as demonstrated in the current placement.
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Discussion of the Role

• Why has the NMC decided to make the changes?

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Fit for Practice

• Concern over the number of new registrants
  reported for fitness for practice issues

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Research

• Watson and Harris (1999) found that in Scotland
  some students were being allowed to pass clinical
  assessments without having demonstrated
  competence
• They also found that some mentors did not feel
  that it was their role to fail students
• 46 of mentors in their survey agreed that
  students were sometimes passed when not competent

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Research

• Kathleen Duffys research asked the question
• Why are some student nurses being allowed to
  pass clinical assessments without having
  demonstrated sufficient competence? (K Duffy
  2004)

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K Duffy

• it would appear that mentors when faced with a
  borderline student will often pass the student
  giving the individual the benefit of the doubt

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K Duffy

• What are the consequences for service providers
  and user, of decisions to employ nurses or
  midwives of borderline competence?

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K Duffy

• Lecturers say that clinical practitioners hold
  them responsible for problems with newly
  qualified staff. The lecturers view is that
  mentors who have failed to fail are
  responsible,

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K Duffy

• The sixth recommendation (from the research) is
  that the issue regarding the passing on of
  information between placements once a student has
  failed a clinical assessment requires to be
  debated.

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Student Passport

• UWE are introducing the student passport in line
  with NMC requirements
• (NMC 2006)
• As sign off mentors you will be able to see how
  the student has progressed by looking at previous
  assessments and comments from the previous mentors

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Student Passport

• How will access to this passport help in the
  assessment process?

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Debate

• You are happy with the students competence but
  they have only just scraped through all previous
  assessments.
• How does this knowledge influence your decision
  to pass or fail?

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Debate

• All the previous assessments are good but you are
  not happy with the students competence.
• How do the previous assessments influence your
  decision to pass or fail?

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Debate

• You are concerned about the students competence
  and your concerns are echoed by the previous
  mentors.
• How does this knowledge affect your decision?

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Your accountability to the NMC

• How will the NMC hold you accountable?

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References

• Duffy K (2004) available at http//www.nmc-uk.
• Watson, H. E., Harris, B. (1999) Supporting
  students in practice placements in Scotland
  Glasgow Caledonian University Department of
  Nursing and Community Health.