The importance, impact and influence of group clinical supervision for graduate entry nursing students.

This paper will report on an evaluation of group clinical supervision (CS) facilitated for graduate entry nursing (GEN) students whilst on clinical placement. The literature suggests educational forums which enable GEN students to engage in critical dialogue, promote reflective practice and ongoing support are an essential element of GEN curricula. The model of supervision employed was informed by Proctor's three function interactive CS model and Inskipp and Proctor's Supervision Alliance. Both emphasise the normative, formative and restorative functions of CS as task areas within an overarching humanistic supervisory approach. The three-function model informed the design of a questionnaire which intended to measure their importance, impact and influence through both structured and open-ended questions. Findings suggest the restorative function of supervision is most valued and is facilitated in an environment where humanistic principles of non-judgement, empathy and trust are clearly present. Also the opportunity to learn from others, consider alternative perspectives and question personal assumptions regarding capability and confidence are a priority for this student group. It is suggested that the restorative function of CS should be prioritised within future developments and models which view this function as a key purpose of CS should be explored.

Do current cost-effectiveness analyses reflect the full value of childhood vaccination in Europe? A rotavirus case study.

Economic evaluation of vaccination programs can be challenging and does not always fully capture the benefits provided. Reasons for this include the difficulties incurred in accurately capturing the health and economic impact of infectious diseases and how different diseases may interact with each other. Rotavirus infection, for example, peaks at a similar time than other infectious diseases, such as RSV and influenza, which can cause hospital overcrowding and disruption, and may pose a risk to more vulnerable children due to limited availability of isolation facilities. Another challenge, specific to evaluating childhood vaccination, is that QoL cannot be accurately measured in children due to a lack of validated instruments. Childhood diseases also incur a care giver burden, due to the need for parents to take time off work, and this is important to consider. Finally, for diseases such as RVGE, cost-effectiveness analyses in which longer time horizons are considered may not reflect the short-term benefits of vaccination. Further quantification of the economic impact of childhood diseases is thus required to fully highlight the true benefits of childhood vaccination that may be realized. Herein we explore the limitations of existing economic evaluations for childhood vaccination, and how economic analyses could be better adapted in future.

An integrated educational model for graduate entry nursing cirriculum design.

The constraints influencing the development of nurse education are widely debated and discussed within the academic, professional and public arena. In order to challenge these constraints it is proposed that nurse education should promote every opportunity for students to engage in critical dialogue with a range of influential sources. This paper will report on an integrated educational model for graduate entry curriculum design. The model capitalises on the skills and attributes students bring to the course, which are collectively termed "graduateness," by utilising a range of teaching and learning approaches which compliment and build upon each other to foster the characteristics of a capable practitioner. It is envisaged that this will better enable those graduating from this programme to respond to the changing context of healthcare.

Exposing the tensions of implementing supervision in pre-registration nurse education.

This discussion will examine the complexities of implementing group clinical supervision in pre-registration nurse education. Exploration is based upon the authors' experiences of facilitating clinical supervision with mental health branch students on the Diploma/BSc program at one higher education institution in the UK. It will provide the history and context of clinical supervision in nursing and apply this to the educational setting. This discussion aims to move beyond the rhetoric surrounding clinical supervision to expose the underlying tensions which we propose influence the clinical supervision process in pre-registration nurse education. These include the potential confusion of role for the supervisor, conflict of responsibilities and the potentially vulnerable position they may adopt. However, despite these tensions it is proposed that clinical supervision has a key role within graduate pre-registration nursing education.