Effects of advanced practitioners' learning in one hospital.

A master of science degree course in advanced practice (health and social care) was launched at the University of Salford in 2005 to prepare students for advanced practice roles as part of a workforce modernisation strategy for the north west of England. The development needs of qualified advanced practitioners (APs) and the effects of their roles on service outcomes are difficult to capture; therefore, a study was undertaken to evaluate the longer term effects of the programme and address some of these gaps in knowledge. This article reports the results of the study, which focused on the effects of education in the workplace and found that APs apply their learning in the workplace and can demonstrate its impact on services. Results also suggest that APs are more effective when they have supportive managers with a clear vision for the role in a service area and who develop the roles based on skill and service need.

Measuring the impact of the advanced practitioner role: a practical approach.

AIM: This paper aims to illuminate difficulties in evaluating the advanced practitioner role and to offer a practical solution. BACKGROUND: The advanced practice role has been part of the workforce strategy in the Northwest of England since 2005. However capturing hard evidence of the impact of this role has been problematic. Current restrictions on resources require the provision of evidence of the value of roles and services. EVALUATION: Critical analysis of literature has identified challenges in evaluating the advanced practice role. The case study design takes account of current policy initiatives, notably QIPP. KEY ISSUES: There is no common approach to evaluating the role of advanced practitioners. The case study has the potential to be a useful tool to organise evidence of the impact of advanced practitioner roles. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced practitioners need to have appropriate knowledge and skills to provide evidence of the impact of their role. There is potential for this work to be applied to other roles across the NHS. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Managers need to work in partnership with workforce planners and educationalists to support advanced practitioners to utilise their skills in methods of providing evidence that they do work of value. Clear strategic direction for advanced practitioners is advised as part of the workforce strategy.

Linking the Knowledge and Skills Framework to CPD.

To help staff to make links between the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework and their continuing professional development, staff at the School of Nursing, University of Salford, have linked all educational provision for qualified healthcare professionals to the NHS KSF. This was carried out in partnership with NHS colleagues.

Moral difficulties in nursing practice: reflections on the practice of a nurse educator.

In this article issues associated with moral difficulties in nursing practice are explored. Within the context of a personal reflection on a module evaluation, this article was prompted by a discussion with a group of student nurses. The students had just completed a module of study on moral, professional and legal issues in nursing. A literature-based discussion in which I suggest that moral, professional and legal issues in nursing are inextricably linked is followed by the background to the module of study and context of the discussion with the student nurses. Four themes emerged from my reflection upon this discussion: proposed changes to patient care, the students themselves, other health care professionals and operational issues. These themes are discussed through reflective commentary. The conclusion acknowledges the value of personal reflection for nurses working in nurse education and clinical practice.

What is the future of the lecturer practitioner role-a decade on?

Collaboration between the Greater Manchester Workforce Development Confederation, the University of Salford and nine NHS Trusts, in the implementation of the Fitness for Practice and Making a Difference recommendations, identified the need for a wider co nsultation on the future of education and practice links. Lessons learned from this initiative included a realization of the importance of partnering arrangements between higher education and practice. To achieve a collaborative model for the future a wo rking party was established to determine how effective partnership and collaboration between the NHS Trusts, Confederation and Higher Education could be developed, maintained and disseminated for the future. Five sub groups were formed from the main work ing party all charged with examining education and practice links. Each sub group reported back and presented evidence to the main working party. It was recognized that a whole repertoire of roles spanning education and practice would be required, includ ing the role of lecturer practitioner and joint appointments. The aim of this paper is to report on the work of the lecturer practitioner and joint appointment roles sub group, its evaluation of the evidence to support the role within the collaborative m odel and offer proposed actions for future practice.