Evaluation of a virtual practice placement: A model to increase student capacity.

AIM: To describe the development and evaluation of a novel virtual practice placement. BACKGROUND: Health systems around the world face the challenge of recruiting and retaining sufficient nursing staff to provide high quality care. The need to train more nurses makes it hard to provide sufficient and varied high quality student placements to all students. This paper reports the result of one approach to the provision of a novel virtual placement for pre-registration student nurses. DESIGN: Online virtual placement evaluated by a questionnaire conducted after the placement. METHODS: A total of 195 students attended the virtual practice placement between 10th October 2022 and the 10th March 2023. The survey consisted of eight questions, of which one invited a qualitative response. RESULTS: A total of 188 students completed the questionnaire and provided feedback. Of these 84 were adult nursing students, 67 child, 36 mental health and one learning disability student. The virtual placement required considerable resources to run, however was deemed as valuable by most students. When asked to rate the overall experience out of 5, the median scores were consistently high: adult (Mdn=5), child (Mdn=4), learning disability (Mdn=5) and mental health (Mdn=5) and mean values consistently high across fields: adult (M=4.73), child (M=5), learning disability (M=5) and mental health (M=4.67). Qualitatively, there were four main themes that emerged from the questionnaire responses: increased understanding of community healthcare and holistic approaches to care; developing interpersonal skills; a positive impact on their future career opportunities and the value of realistic case studies. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual placements are a viable addition to traditional placements. However, they require careful planning and considerable resources including experienced and dedicated facilitators. Principles for the delivery of virtual placements were produced to replicate and share best practice.

Gaining supervision skills in pre-registration nursing through peer teaching: An evaluative survey.

Background: It is now a requirement that all qualified nurses act as practice supervisors and support student nurses' education in practice, hence preparing third-year students for this role is a priority. This study evaluates students' experiences of peer teaching in clinical skills setting from the perspective of these students taking up the supervisory role once they graduate. Method: An evaluative survey was utilised to explore and understand student nurse participation in peer teaching. Seventeen students took part in a questionnaire containing closed and open questions. Results: This research suggests that students who engaged in peer teaching gained confidence in their own skills, through the revision of their own skills and knowledge. It also triggered reflection upon continuous professional development and inspired students to consider a future career in teaching. Conclusion: Peer teaching provides an opportunity to reinforce the students' knowledge, clinical and communication skills. It helps prepare them for the role of practice supervisor upon qualifying by building confidence and enhancing their teaching skills.

Online Virtual Nursing Placements: A Case Study on Placement Expansion.

Introduction: A need to increase student placements, in a culture that is under unprecedented demand, means that practice providers and partner higher education institutions need to find new and innovative ways to ensure quality learning experiences for students. Virtual placements are just one way of providing student placements, and this study presents a case for this. Objective: This research aims to explore the student's experience of virtual blended placements and to consider future sustainability. Method: This is a qualitative, exploratory study observing the attitudes, thoughts, and feelings of student nurse experiences of online virtual nursing placements. Key cases were identified, and two participants were asked to reflect upon their experiences of the blended virtual learning placement. Student evaluations, and virtual placement day plans, form part of the data collection, and results are presented in a theory building and comparative approach, adopting pattern matching. Results: Three themes emerged from the narratives, supported by student evaluations and day plans. Students reviewed the placement positively in that they were able to achieve their required practice proficiencies. Second, they discussed the way in which the virtual days were facilitated and that building relationships with professionals and peers while on placement was of high importance. Conclusion: This case study presents a novel and unique student experience within a 0-19 community nursing service, which through 3 days of practice placement supported by two virtually taught days, students were able to reach their practice proficiencies. This virtual placement model offers a unique way to reduce the pressures on frontline staff and enriches the students' experiences.

"It's more than milk, it's mental health": a case of online human milk sharing.

BACKGROUND: Milk sharing is not a new concept and occurs today via regulated human milk banks and unregulated online milk sharing groups. Exploring and understanding how, and why, mothers use these peers to peer milk sharing groups, is a vehicle to understanding how breastfeeding mothers can be tangibly supported online, adding to the literature on peer milk sharing, from a recipient's perspective. This research presents a single case example of an online breastfeeding support group use, through one mother's experiencing of seeking human donor milk. METHOD: This is a qualitative, exploratory study observing the attitudes, thoughts, and feelings of one mother who is seeking human donor milk through online groups. A single key case was identified, and the participant was asked to document thoughts and feelings as she searched for milk online. A telephone interview was conducted after two months, and the online page activity from the Human Milk for Human Babies Facebook group was captured for the week following the interview. The results were presented in a chronological and linear analytical approach adopting pattern matching. RESULTS: 'Abbi' is a mother who has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and subsequent low milk supply and sought donor breastmilk online. Online support groups introduced her to donor milk sharing, which not only supported her breastfeeding but supported her own mental health. Abbi talks of the need to build a trusting relationship with her donor, due to the lack of regulation, and the positive impact it had for her and 'Lucas', her baby. CONCLUSION: Considering milk sharing groups simply as tangible online support ignores the complexities around Abbi's decision to use human donor milk. Peer milk sharing online is an option for mothers, but it is surrounded by stigma amongst other mothers, professionals, and even within pro breastfeeding support groups.

Online social support group use by breastfeeding mothers: A content analysis.

BACKGROUND: Breastfeeding is a public health priority and lack of breastfeeding support a contributing factor to the low initiation and continuation rates in the UK. Online social support groups are being increasingly utilised by breastfeeding mothers and research into this phenomenon is only now emerging. AIM: To document and describe the posts made within an online breastfeeding support group. METHOD: The posts made to an online breastfeeding social support group between 1st and 7th November 2016 were recorded using an unobtrusive non-participant design, and subject to systematic message content analysis. Themes relating to topics of discussion were deduced from the data and concepts of social support used to analyse the data. RESULTS: The group received 501 posts over the week (m = 72, range 20-93 a day) and was accessed 24 hours a day. Eighty-two percent of posts received comments (m = 12, range 0-415, SD = 24) and 93% received likes (m = 11, range = 0-641, SD 42). The group was used from pregnancy and until the child was over two years old. The majority of infants discussed were aged 6 weeks to 6 months. Informational support was the greatest reason for use (65%), followed by esteem support (18%) and emotional support (10%). Thirteen topics of conversations were identified. CONCLUSION: Mothers are using online social support groups in their thousands to seek information from people in similar situations. Not only do they pose questions but they discuss a range of parenting and breastfeeding topics in an environment that aims to support and facilitate responses. The impact of this support avenue within the wider context of professional, family and offline support warrants further investigation through a qualitative approach.

The use of computer mediated communication in providing patient support: A review of the research literature.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to explore how computer mediated communication has been used by a variety of healthcare,professionals to support their patients and discuss the implication that this may have for future practice. DESIGN: A systematized review of the literature. DATA SOURCES: A review of empirical studies within the literature was carried out in April 2016 in CINAHL, MEDLINE, ASSIA, BNI, Psychinfo, and Web of Science databases. REVIEW METHODS: The databases searched produced 2930 titles, of which 190 publications were considered relevant to the objectives. Titles and abstracts were then reviewed and duplicates removed producing 67 publications. Exclusion and inclusion criteria were applied. The inclusion criteria were (1) interventions that facilitate two-way communication between any healthcare professional and their patients via a computer; (2) Interventions aimed at providing any type of support e.g. emotional, tangible, informational, or esteem support; (3) English language; (4) Primary empirical studies. Data quality was assessed and thematic analysis applied. RESULTS: Thirty-one publications were included in this study. Intervention types included Email (n = 8), Videoconferencing (n = 7), Online Social Support Groups (n = 9) and multifaceted interventions (n = 7). Three themes emerged from the data including increasing access to healthcare, adding value to healthcare delivery and improving patient outcomes. Twenty-five (81%) of the studies found that computer mediated communication could produce positive effects. CONCLUSIONS: Computer mediated communication could be both what patients want and a way of delivering support to patients in a resource tight environment. This has implications for a range of health support needs and professionals including nurses, midwives and allied healthcare professionals. Reviewing the lessons learnt will ensure future interventions are tailored to the support needs of the patients, carefully planned and mindful of the risks.