Approved Educational Institutions' Role in Supporting Pre-registration Students in the Practice Learning Environment

Hodgetts, Laura (2025) Approved Educational Institutions' Role in Supporting Pre-registration Students in the Practice Learning Environment. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

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Abstract

Changes to pre-registration nurse education occurred in 2018 when the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) published the results of consultation efforts, with their subsequent results shaping the ‘Future Nurse’. By extension, changes to the professional image and expectations of nurses stand to affect the content of preregistration nurse education. As key stakeholders, a key question raised in view of these changes includes how Approved Educational Institutions (AEIs) actively look to work with Practice Learning Partners (PLPs) as they prepare pre-registration nurses for registration.

Using an adapted, constructivist grounded theory approach, eleven individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from seven different Participant Information Centres (PICs) across the West Midlands. This led to the formation of four distinct participant groups: Registered Nurses who work directly with pre-registration student nurses in the practice learning environment, Practice Placement Managers or Clinical Educators, a Head Nurse, and Representatives of the NMC. The subsequent analysis of these interviews led to the construction of two analytical categories which were:

1. Training, awareness and understanding of the Future Nurse standards (NMC,2018; NMC,2018a; NMC,2018c; NMC,2018d).

2. Looking back to pay it forward.

Amongst others, the most significant findings of this study include:

• A recognition of limited research in the public domain, which discusses the Future Nurse standards (NMC,2018; NMC,2018a; NMC,2018c; NMC,2018d),
• A lack of awareness and incomplete implementation of the Future Nurse standards (NMC,2018; NMC,2018a; NMC,2018c; NMC,2018d),
• Little justification for the breath of change and the sustainability of this working model exists in light of the ‘NHS staffing crisis’ and the “toxic” learning culture acknowledged by the NMC.

From these main findings, some of the key recommendations from the study focus on increasing awareness and understanding of the Future Nurse standards (NMC,2018; NMC,2018a; NMC,2018c; NMC,2018d) to improve the learning culture. However, there is a recognised need for further research to explore the lived experience of newly qualified nurses who were the first to be trained using the Future Nurse standards (NMC,2018; NMC,2018a; NMC,2018c; NMC,2018d). This is needed so that previous successes can be continued or replicated, but also so that the needs of pre-registration nursing students can be better met by using the current educational standards.

As these standards are in their relative infancy, and to compare and contrast the preceding and current ways of educating and preparing student nurses, it has been necessary for the thesis to consider older references and actively use them within discussions or to highlight differing schools of thought in the literature. From a nursing literature perspective, this is particularly relevant to the aspects of the thesis which form the background literature of the study, as well as pre-existing models of pre-registration supervision and assessment. In several parts, this includes seminal texts or references to the Supporting Learning and Assessment in Practice (SLAiP) standards (NMC,2008; RCN,2015) and literature which relates to the use of a ‘mentor’ and sign-off mentor’ which features in the 2010 educational standards (NMC,2010).

To situate this within this study further, as established within the abstract, the Future Nurse standards (NMC,2018; NMC,2018a; NMC,2018c NMC,2018d) replaced the 2010 and their supporting roles of ‘mentor’ and ‘sign-off mentor’ and appropriated terminology and roles which include that of a Practice Supervisor and Practice Assessor. A conscious choice has, therefore, been made to keep older literature and not support them with a more contemporary source. The rationale behind this is to be able to clearly distinguish between time frames that align with the preceding or current models of pre-registration supervision and/or assessment. It is also argued that not updating older literature with current sources more clearly reflects the research/opinions/insights and interpretations that were ‘true’ of the time that they were written about or in.

In alternative instances, older literature was also drawn upon because the references reflect seminal perspectives or lenses present at the time or because specific ideas/philosophies have not changed and are still relative to more contemporary applications. This will be particularly relevant in Chapter 3, which considers research methodology and applied research methods.

With this in mind, to ensure the research aim and objectives are considered in light of the changes and more contemporary expectations of pre-registration nurse education, as set by the regulator (NMC), an initial examination of the degree of change instigated by the Future Nurse standards ( NMC,2018; NMC,2018a; NMC,2018c; NMc,2018d) implementation will now be presented by introducing the Future Nurse standards (NMC,2018; NMC,2018a; NMC,2018c; NMC,2018d) and comparing them to the previous standards of pre-registration nurse education.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 25 January 2025 Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Future Nurse, SSSA, pre- registration nurse, nurse education, Constructivist Grounded Theory, Practice Supervisor, Practice Assessor, NMC, Hawthorne Effect.
Subjects:	CAH02 - subjects allied to medicine > CAH02-04 - nursing and midwifery > CAH02-04-01 - nursing (non-specific) CAH22 - education and teaching > CAH22-01 - education and teaching > CAH22-01-01 - education
Divisions:	Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > College of Nursing and Midwifery
Depositing User:	Louise Muldowney
Date Deposited:	07 Feb 2025 10:33
Last Modified:	07 Feb 2025 10:33
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16126

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