The use of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® within nurse education: A scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this review is to map how LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is currently utilised within education and to explore the benefits it may offer to the education of new nurses. DESIGN: A scoping review which utilises a 5 stage methodological framework in order to encapsulate a broad range of evidence relating to the use of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® within a variety of educational settings. DATA SOURCES: Databases searched included CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, PsychInfo, Scopus as well as Proquest Dissertations and Theses and the British Library's Electronic Theses Online Service. Additional sources were also sought through review of the reference lists of relevant articles. REVIEW METHODS: Retrieved articles were screened for relevance and compiled in a charting table to summarise the key components and findings of each source. Qualitative content analysis was then utilised to address the identified review questions. RESULTS: A total of 11 texts were reviewed consisting of 1 conference paper, 6 research reports and 4 conceptual articles. These explored the use of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® across a broad range of disciplines including nursing, play therapy, occupational therapy and marketing. CONCLUSIONS: The scoping review highlights that LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® offers a number of benefits that can be utilised within nursing education, particularly in relation to supporting reflection, formation of professional identity and the development of resilience. These results highlight a gap in the evidence concerning the use of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® within nursing education and thus the need for further exploration.

Redefining undergraduate nurse teaching during the coronavirus pandemic: use of digital technologies.

During the current coronavirus pandemic, undergraduate nurse teaching is facing many challenges. Universities have had to close their campuses, which means that academics are working from home and may be coping with unfamiliar technology to deliver the theoretical part of the undergraduate nursing curriculum. Emergency standards from the Nursing and Midwifery Council have allowed theoretical instruction to be replaced with distance learning, requiring nursing academics to adapt to providing a completely virtual approach to their teaching. This article provides examples of tools that can be used to deliver the theoretical component of the undergraduate nursing curriculum and ways of supporting students and colleagues in these unprecedented times.

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.

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.

Facilitation of learning: part 1.

This article, the fourth in a series of 11, discusses the context for the facilitation of learning. It outlines the main principles and theories for understanding the process of learning, including examples which link these concepts to practice. The practical aspects of using these theories in a practice setting will be discussed in the fifth article of this series. Together, these two articles will provide mentors and practice teachers with knowledge of the learning process, which will enable them to meet the second domain of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice on facilitation of learning.