Edinburgh Napier University

  Background: Advanced practice in the United Kingdom focuses around four pillars: Clinical practice, facilitating learning, leadership, and evidence, research and development.Advanced practice students have reported feeling comfortable within the clinical practice pillar of their role on completion of the programme but less so aroud the other pillars, particularly facilitating learning and leadership. They are required to teach and lead within their role and often feel underdeveloped or unprepared to do so.

Aims/purpose: To ensure that all four pillars, including facilitating learning and leadership, are met on the advanced practice (clinical) programme, and to better prepare students for their future role as mentor/educator on qualification.

Methods: Following focus group discussion with current and previous advanced practice students’, delivery and assessment of the advanced practice (clinical) programme was altered to weave in lectures and skills sessions to develop the students as educators and leaders. Students are provided with teaching on pedagogical approaches and methods, leadership methods and approaches, directed to key literature, and assisted in the development of their teaching and leadership practice (including IT, presentation skills, and communication).

Results: The programme offers teaching across all four pillars. Education, teaching, and leadsership skills are built upon from early in the programme and are woven throughout all modules. On qualification the students are better equipped to take on the role of mentor, educator, and/or leader and have a developed portfolio of evidence which demonstrates their understanding, skills, and personal development. Students have fed back the usefulness of developing these skills (in particular presenting online, creating power points for teaching, and approaching difficult conversations) and to date the feedback from both students and clinical areas/clinical management has been positive.