Stigma towards non-suicidal self-harm: evaluating a brief educational intervention.

BACKGROUND:: health professionals' attitudes towards self-harming behaviour are predominantly negative. Research examining educational interventions to change negative attitudes is limited. AIMS:: this study aimed to provide an educational intervention for student nurses to change negative attitudes around self-harm. METHODS:: attitudes around self-harm and mental health in general were assessed through the Self-Harm Antipathy Scale and the Mental Health Attitude Scale. Fifty-five adult nursing students took part in the 45-minute intervention. This included facts and figures, celebrity stories and personal stories regarding self-harm, all intended to increase understanding. FINDINGS:: after the intervention, attitudes measured by the Self-Harm Antipathy Scale had improved significantly. CONCLUSION:: patients who self-harm will without doubt continue to experience negative attitudes from health professionals. This study shows an educational intervention can change attitudes towards those who self-harm.

Service user involvement in teaching and learning: student nurse perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Service user involvement in educating healthcare professionals in higher education can help student nurses develop a compassionate approach to care practice. This article explains one university's initiative, the Patient as Coach Team (PaCT), and presents evaluation results from phase 1. The PaCT strategy involved a service user-led session with student nurses, in small groups, sharing experiences of care from a service user perspective. AIM: Our aim was to evaluate nursing students' views of the PaCT session, involving service users in their teaching and learning. DESIGN: Survey. METHOD: Structured questionnaires with a free-text box were completed by student nurses (n = 321). Structured question responses were analysed manually and free-text data thematically. Data collection took place from June 2016 to June 2017. RESULTS: There were very positive responses to the survey questions, with students perceiving a positive impact on their learning. Five themes emerged from the students' free-text responses: 'Usefulness of the session', 'Seeing patients' perspectives', 'Inspiring and motivating session', 'Good discussions with patient coach' and 'Overall views about the PaCT session'. CONCLUSION: The PaCT session provides a valid learning strategy, utilising coaching as a technique to enable student nurses to learn from service users' experiences and perspectives of care. In addition, it contributes to students' reflective practice about their individual professional practice in care settings.

Evaluation of the student learning experience.

This article, the final in a series of 11, discusses the importance of evaluating the students' learning experience. Mentoring is integral to effective nursing care and professional development. It is important that mentors are able to establish whether they are effective in their role, including identifying their strengths and areas for improvement, and whether they are making a difference to the students' learning and contributing to the learning experience and assessment process. The article relates to the fourth domain and outcomes of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice on evaluation of learning and presents several ways in which mentors and practice teachers can evaluate their role and the students' learning experience.

Supporting students in practice: leadership.

This article, the tenth in a series of 11, discusses the importance of effective leadership in nursing and how it can enhance the provision of high quality care. Recent findings regarding suboptimal care practices in nursing have demonstrated the need for effective leadership in healthcare settings. Mentors and practice teachers are required to demonstrate leadership as part of their nursing role and their role in facilitating student learning. In addition, mentors and practice teachers are responsible for developing effective leadership skills in students, who will be expected to demonstrate these skills when they become registered nurses or midwives. Guidance for mentors and practice teachers is provided in relation to the eighth domain and outcomes of the Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice on leadership.

Evidence-based practice: developing mentors to support students.

This article, the ninth in a series of 11, provides guidance for new and established mentors and practice teachers on evidence-based practice, the seventh domain of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice (SSLAP). Evidence-based practice is an important aspect of contemporary healthcare and is central to student preparation programmes for nursing, midwifery and specialist community public health nursing (SCPHN). The article describes evidence-based practice, discussing the importance and implementation of an evidence-based approach in the context of role development for mentors and practice teachers in the preparation of nursing, midwifery and SCPHN students.

Assessment and accountability: part 3 - sign-off mentors.

Assessment in clinical practice is a complex role undertaken by mentors and practice teachers. This article is the third of three articles about assessment in practice. Part one focused on the importance of assessment and identified assessment methods used in clinical practice, while part two discussed the importance of feedback and managing failing students. This article examines the concepts of responsibility and accountability as well as ethical issues for mentors and practice teachers in relation to the assessment process. The role of the sign-off mentor, the issue of due regard, and ethical principles are discussed. The meaning of competence and partnership working when making assessment decisions are explored. This article relates to the third domain and outcomes of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice on assessment and accountability.

Assessment and accountability: part 2 - managing failing students.

Assessment in clinical practice is a complex role undertaken by mentors and practice teachers. This article is the second of three articles about assessment in practice. Part one examined the importance of assessment and identified various assessment methods used in clinical practice. This article considers two main themes in the assessment of practice. First, it outlines the importance of providing feedback, and explores preparation for regular feedback and the documentation used to help mentors and practice teachers undertake this activity. Second, it discusses management of failing students, and reviews the literature relating to the 'failure to fail' phenomenon. This article relates to the third domain and outcomes of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice on assessment and accountability.

Facilitation of learning: part 2.

The previous article in this series of 11, Facilitation of learning: part 1, reviewed learning theories and how they relate to clinical practice. Developing an understanding of these theories is essential for mentors and practice teachers to enable them to deliver evidence-based learning support. This is important given that effective learning support is dependent on an educator who possesses knowledge of their specialist area as well as the relevent tools and methods to support learning. The second domain of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice relates to the facilitation of learning. To fulfil this domain, mentors and practice teachers are required to demonstrate their ability to recognise the needs of learners and provide appropriate support to meet those needs. This article expands on some of the discussions from part 1 of this article and considers these from a practical perspective, in addition to introducing some of the tools that can be used to support learning.

Assessment and accountability: part 1 - assessment.

Assessment in clinical practice is a complex role undertaken by mentors and practice teachers. Therefore, this and the following two articles in this series will explore student assessment in clinical practice and the theoretical concepts that relate to assessment of learning and development. This article examines the importance of assessment and the role of mentors and practice teachers in this activity. Definitions and the purpose of assessment are analysed, in addition to various assessment methods used in clinical practice that relate to the third domain and outcomes of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice on assessment and accountability.

Creating an environment for learning.

This article, the third in a series of 11, provides guidance to new and existing mentors and practice teachers to enable them to progress in their role and develop a portfolio of evidence that meets the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice (SSLAP). The importance of developing a high quality practice placement is discussed in relation to the fifth domain of the SSLAP, 'creating an environment for learning'. The article provides learning activities and suggests ways in which mentors and practice teachers can undertake various self-assessments, enabling them to gather relevant evidence to demonstrate how they can meet and maintain the requirements of this domain.

Standards to support learning and assessment in practice.

This is the first article in a series of 11 that will offer guidance to new and existing mentors and practice teachers to enable them to develop in their role and help them to gather a portfolio of evidence that meets the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice (SSLAP). This article provides background to the development of the standards and outlines the SSLAP, including the four main stages of the framework, the eight domains and outcomes, and the five principles required for the roles of mentor, sign-off mentor and practice teacher. The requirements for maintaining the mentor and practice teacher roles are explored.

Establishing effective working relationships.

This article, the second in a series of 11, provides support and offers advice to new and existing mentors and practice teachers to enable them to progress in their role and develop a portfolio of evidence. In particular, the article discusses how to establish effective working relationships and emphasises the importance of the student-mentor or student-practice teacher relationship. It examines the essential qualities, attributes and characteristics of an effective mentor or practice teacher. The article provides learning activities and suggests ways in which mentors and practice teachers can undertake various self-assessments, enabling them to gather relevant evidence to demonstrate how they can meet and maintain the requirements for these roles as stipulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.