NMC Standards to Support Learning and

Assessment in Practice

Lesley Barrowman

Senior Professional Officer NIPEC

New Framework

Developed to give better assurances to NMC that students undertaking programmes have been supported and provided with appropriate supervision and assessment of competency by practitioners with the necessary knowledge and competence

Developmental Framework

• Stage 1 - Newly qualified registrant• Stage 2 - Mentor for pre-registration students • Stage 3 - Practice Teacher for post-

registration students• Stage 4 - Teacher

Assessment of Competence – Pre Registration Nursing

• All students will be assessed during their programme by mentors prepared for role

• Students can only be assessed for entry to the register (at the end of their programme) by sign off mentors or practice teachers

• For midwifery programmes all mentors must be sign off mentors

Sign off Mentor

• Sign off mentors must demonstrate additional competence– Supervised on 3 occasions– Clinical currency– Understand accountability

• Sign off mentors must have a minimum of one hour of protected time each week

• Implemented for students who commence programmes from 1 September 2007

Responsibilities of Trusts

• Maintain an up to date register of mentors, sign off mentors and practice teachers, including appraisal system

• 40% of students time with a mentor/practice teacher who must keep records

• Final placement one hour per week with sign off mentor

• Make provision for annual updating• Triennial review of mentors/practice teachers• Access to support and supervision

Mentor Programmes

• Must enable mentors to meet the required outcomes

• Minimum academic level 2

• 10 days, minimum 5 days protected learning time

• Learning in academic and practice setting, including work-based learning under supervision of trained mentor/practice teacher

• AP(E)L up to 100%

• Normally completed within 3 months

Practice Teacher Programmes

• Must enable practice teachers to meet the required outcomes

• Minimum academic level 3• Learning in academic and practice setting,

including work-based learning under supervision of trained practice teacher

• 30 days protected learning time• AP(E)L up to 100%• Normally completed within 6 months

Teacher Programmes

• Must enable teachers to meet the required outcomes

• One academic year in length• Minimum academic level post-graduate• Learning in academic and practice setting,

including work-based learning under supervision of trained practice teacher

• Include 12 weeks teaching practice (360 hours)

NIPEC Project

DHSSPS has requested that NIPEC project manages the implementation of the new NMC standards in Northern Ireland.

NIPEC Project

• Processes must be developed to ensure that mentors and practice teachers previously prepared for their role and who will be supporting students commencing after 1st September 2007 meet the new NMC standards

• Placement providers are required to establish and maintain an up to date local register of mentors and practice teachers, which can be accessed by education providers

NIPEC Project

• Placement providers are required to develop and implement processes that ensure that mentors and practice teachers meet NMC requirements for on-going competency and updating

• Placement providers are required to develop infrastructures that provide the necessary protected time for mentors and practice teachers to meet the specified NMC requirements for supporting and assessing students in practice

NIPEC Project

• Education providers are required to develop systems that ensure the relevant verification of students meeting NMC proficiency requirements during programmes and at programme completion.

• New mentors and practice teachers are prepared through programmes developed by service and education programme providers that meet new NMC standards

• New mentor and practice teacher programmes are approved by NMC for provision by NMC approved education institutions.

NIPEC Project Aim

To facilitate service and education To facilitate service and education

programme providers in meeting the programme providers in meeting the

NMC Standards and ensure that NMC Standards and ensure that

sufficient mentors and practice sufficient mentors and practice

teachers are in place at 1st September teachers are in place at 1st September

2007 to meet NMC requirements2007 to meet NMC requirements

NIPEC Project Objectives

• To ensure that service providers have an infrastructure in place that enables them to meet NMC standards.

• To ensure that service providers have developed a system to enable current mentors and practice teachers to be mapped against NMC requirements.

• To ensure that service providers develop a database for use in each locality to maintain a register of mentors and practice teachers, accessible to education providers.

NIPEC Project Objectives

• To ensure that service and education programme providers have arrangements in place for further development of current mentors and practice teachers unable to demonstrate that they meet NMC standards.

• To work with service and education programme providers to ensure that programmes developed for mentors and practice teachers meet service needs for a regionally developed programme to prepare adequate numbers of mentors and practice teachers to support students

NIPEC Project

• To ensure that preparation programmes for mentors and practice teachers are approved in accordance with NMC requirements in a timely manner.

• To facilitate the development of quality assurance systems that will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the structures and processes implemented to meet NMC standards.

• To explore the resource impact of meeting NMC requirements.

Methodology

• Appoint a full-time Project Officer• Set up a Steering Group with responsibility

for ensuring the project progresses to plan and that arrangements to meet the new NMC standards are implemented across the HPSS, where relevant, the Independent Sector, and Education Providers

Methodology

• Set up a Project Group, accountable to the Steering Group that will address the organisational changes in their nominated organisations.

• Implementation of the NMC requirements will be realised through the Project Team members.

Methodology

• Currently recruiting membership of the Steering Currently recruiting membership of the Steering Group and Project Group Ensuring Group and Project Group Ensuring representation from all parts of NMC registerrepresentation from all parts of NMC register to to include representation from: include representation from: – HPSS Trusts HPSS Trusts – Education ProvidersEducation Providers– Independent SectorIndependent Sector– DHSSPS DHSSPS – NMC members (Steering Group)NMC members (Steering Group)– NIPECNIPEC

Methodology

Underpinning principle is that NIPEC Underpinning principle is that NIPEC

will be facilitating the work but the will be facilitating the work but the

ownership and accountability for all ownership and accountability for all

aspects of the work remains with the aspects of the work remains with the

HPSS, Independent Sector and HPSS, Independent Sector and

Education Provider Organisations Education Provider Organisations

working in partnershipworking in partnership