Transforming Student Nurse Training in Northampton
A collaborative project between the University of Northampton and Northampton General Hospital is trialing an innovative new approach to training.
The hospital and the university will launch the scheme known as PL@N (Practice Learning at Northampton General Hospital) in May and trial it on Rowan and Knightley wards.
Carolyn Fox Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Patient Services, tells us what the programme entails:
“PL@N involves students working with an assigned coach who is a registered nurse as they develop their practice skills and experience.
The students receive regular coaching sessions, both on the ward as they deliver care to patients and with training and learning sessions away from the ward.
Patients in the designated PL@N areas continue to receive individual care overseen by the ward’s senior nursing team, just like on any other ward.”
What does this mean for student nurses of the future? Our own Claire Clinker, Lead for Practice at The University of Northampton tells us:
“PL@N is an exciting opportunity for Year 1, 2 and 3 adult student nurses in delivering care with their peers, working alongside the support of a qualified nurse and a mentor.”
The programme incorporates the principles of collaborative learning and coaching means that the pilot is limited to a specific number of bay areas, but inclusive of the entire ward team. It will run for 12 weeks as a pilot and will then be subject to rigorous evaluation to assess the benefits.
