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Supervised learning in practice

  • Last modified date:
    8 February 2007
The following note describes the requirements for supervised learning in practice, for nurses and midwives who wish to train to prescribe from the nurse prescribers' extended formulary of medicines. For the nurse/midwife, supervised learning will cover a total of 12 days spread over a 3 month period.

Criteria include:

The doctor must be a registered medical practitioner who:

(i) has normally had at least 3 years recent clinical experience for a group of patients/clients in the relevant field of practice;

(ii) (a) is within a GP practice and is either vocationally trained or is in possession of a certificate of equivalent experience from the Joint Committee for Post-graduate Training in General Practice Certificate (JCPTGP);
or
(b) is a specialist registrar, clinical assistant or a consultant within a NHS Trust or other NHS employer;

(iii) has the support of the employing organisation or GP practice to act as the designated medical practitioner who will provide supervision, support and opportunities to develop competence in prescribing practice.

(iv) has some experience or training in teaching and or supervising in practice

At the beginning of the period of supervision, the supervising medical practitioner will receive details of the extended nurse prescribing programme and the learning outcomes to be achieved.

Examples of how the nurse or midwife could receive supervision

  • Dedicated time and opportunities for the nurse or midwife to observe how the medical practitioner conducts a "consultation/interview" with patients and/or their carers, and the development of a subsequent management plan.
  • Opportunities to allow in-depth discussion and analysis of clinical management using a random case analysis approach, when patient care and prescribing behaviour can be examined further.
  • Facilitate student learning by encouraging critical thinking and reflection with the use of the student's professional portfolio or learning log.
  • Allow opportunities for the student to carry out consultations and suggest clinical management and prescribing options, which are then discussed with the supervisor.

How it will work in practice

  • Supervised learning in practice will comprise a total of 12 days of the nurse's time. The doctor should be willing and able to devote a sufficient part of his or her time during this period of supervision to provide appropriate guidance for the student.
  • Learning in practice will be related to the medical conditions and circumstances in which a nurse is likely to use the extended formulary, though the learning process will also prepare the nurse for prescribing from other areas of the formulary.
  • The supervising medical practitioner may be a doctor with whom the nurse or midwife normally works. However, arrangements can be agreed where another doctor acts as supervisor, provided the criteria above are met.

Assessment of practice

The supervising medical practitioner will need to complete and "sign-off" the assessment of practice form, which should be returned to the higher education institution (HEI) as part of the assessment requirements. This will confirm that the nurse or midwife has completed the period of learning in practice and whether the required standards have been met.

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