BSc (Hons) Nursing Handbook

Transcription

1 KYN117 Pre-registration nursing quaification eading to BSc (Hons) in Adut or Menta Heath Nursing BSc (Hons) Nursing Handbook Copyright 2015 The Open University Contents 1. Wecome 3 2. Structure of your quaification Quaification structure Aim and outcomes Teaching and earning methods 7 3. Key sources of information and support StudentHome Key contacts Support for students with additiona requirements The Open University Students Association (OUSA) Further support Becoming a student nurse Roe transition Supernumerary status Dress Code Poicy on attendance in practice Poicy on competion of theory hours Sickness, absence and progress Student rights and responsibiities Access to Eectronic Patient/Service User Records Fitness to practise How the OU Supports You Support for your theory-based (academic) and practice-based earning Your earning journey Theory-based earning Practice-based earning 26

2 6.3 Safe Practice Assessment of your achievements Assessment reguations Theory (academic) Practice Quaity assurance of your student experience Assuring the quaity of assessment Assuring the quaity of practice earning Evauation of your experience and those who support you Externa review of the quaity of the quaification Interna review of the quaity of the programme Modue descriptions An introduction to heath and socia care Enhancing your heathcare practice Principes and skis for nursing practice Understanding heath and iness The science of the mind: investigating menta heath (menta heath) Human bioogy (adut) Exporing practice Preparing for graduate practice 63 2 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

3 1. Wecome 1. Wecome I am deighted to wecome you to the Department of Nursing in the Facuty of Heath and Socia Care at The Open University (OU). The mission of the OU is to be open to peope, paces, ideas and methods and it has over a 40 year history of deivering high quaity supported open earning. The Facuty of Heath and Socia Care aims to transform ives through providing high quaity heath and socia care education underpinned by exceent schoarship and research. Working with a wide range of partners in both the heath and socia care sectors, we have deveoped a strong reputation for deivering practice-based earning. Since 2002 we have offered this unique pre-registration nursing quaification in both adut and menta heath nursing, which is now offered at honours degree eve. As you embark on your studies, you might be feeing a range of emotions from excitement, apprehension and perhaps even asking yoursef Can I do it? I can assure you that you wi have first cass support as you navigate your journey through the quaification and this handbook is designed to provide the information you need as you start out on your pre-registration studies with us. I am sure that you wi enjoy your student experience and woud ike to take this opportunity to wish you every success. Professor Jan Draper Head of Nursing 2. Structure of your quaification The pre-registration nursing quaification eads to the award of Bacheor of Science (Honours) in either Adut Nursing or Menta Heath Nursing and, on successfu competion of the quaification, you wi be eigibe to appy for registration as a registered nurse on the Nursing and Midwifery Counci (NMC) register (Nurses Register Sub Part 1, eve one). Competion of the quaification wi normay take four years and one month, athough this wi be onger if you interrupt your quaification studies. However, you shoud note that NMC rues require students to compete their pre-registration studies within seven years (which incudes any time incurred during a break from studying).this degree quaification (360 credits) consists of 4750 study hours: 2310 hours of practice and 2440 hours of theory. The quaification is divided into three stages which are made up of modues of study designated as either theory or practice-based modues. 3 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

4 2. Structure of your quaification 2.1 Quaification structure Throughout the quaification, you wi consider ways in which the earning from modue materias can inform your practice. Support in practice wi hep you gain confidence and competence in your person-centred nursing practice. To meet the NMC standards of education for pre-registration nursing (NMC, 2010), the quaification study caendar moves you sequentiay through three progression points: At the end of stage one At the end of stage two At the end of stage three eigibiity to enter the NMC register Academic and practice expectations increase over the duration of the quaification. In reation to practice, you wi be assessed to determine eves of achievement against NMC generic and fied-specific competencies and competence in the essentia skis custers. Further guidance re progressing from stage two to stage three wi be provided to you at that point. By the competion of the quaification, you wi be required to demonstrate your fitness to practise as a graduate by meeting a the NMC competencies prior to entry to the professiona register. You wi experience practice earning in diverse practice settings focusing on different service user groups. Your experiences wi primariy focus on either adut or menta heath practices in a core practice-base, dependent on your sponsored fied of practice. You are expected to use reevant earning opportunities to gain insight and experience of the care 4 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

5 2. Structure of your quaification and support needed for other groups incuding chidren and peope with earning disabiities. On successfu competion of the BSc (Hons) Nursing quaification your individua modue grades at Stages 2 and 3 wi be used to cacuate your degree cassification and you wi be awarded one of four casses of honours: First cass Upper second cass Lower second cass Third cass 2.2 Aim and outcomes Quaification aim The primary aim of the quaification is to deveop and enhance the inteectua and practice skis needed to underpin your practice as an aspiring and autonomous registered nurse, ensuring that you are fit for practice and purpose. In addition, as you deveop your graduate skis, we aim to support the deveopment of your confidence to ead and deiver highy effective, person-centred practices across a range of care settings. Quaification earning outcomes By studying this degree, you wi acquire a range of transferabe skis, incuding: effective information iteracy skis, critiquing skis to evauate and appy evidencebased practice an abiity to anayse and understand practice from a person-centred and mutidiscipinary perspective deveopment and demonstration of effective interpersona skis to enhance sensitive and compassionate care approaches to maximise peope s dignity and privacy at a times. The content of the modues and ongoing progression through the quaification is designed to support your deveopment and promote your confidence to ead practice and innovation. Throughout the quaification, you wi expore the professiona context of nursing and person-centred practice, the promotion of heathy ifestyes, appied physioogy across a ife course approach, evidence-based practice, management, eadership and service improvement. The earning outcomes for each individua modue are incuded in the Modue Guides; they are aso isted in the modue descriptions (see Section 9), which are avaiabe through StudentHome. The quaification provides opportunities to deveop and demonstrate knowedge and understanding, quaities, skis and other attributes in the foowing areas: Knowedge and understanding of: 5 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

6 2. Structure of your quaification the theories and evidence that underpin nursing as a profession which incudes assessment, panning practice and audit in order to deiver safe, effective and evidence-based care which is compassionate and person-centred the bioogica, socia and behavioura sciences to inform and underpin nursing practice the concepts of heath and webeing, pubic heath and heath promotion needed to meet the needs of individuas and communities the vaue of interdiscipinary coaboration and inter-agency working across a range of heath and socia services and providers practice that accords with ega, ethica, mora and professiona frameworks and respects cuture and diversity the use of research and other sources of evidence in critiquing care, deivery and evauation the principes and practice underpinning competence in eadership, management, incuding management of change, teaching and innovation. Cognitive skis and the abiity to: anayse the vaues hed by members of the muti-professiona team and their impact on the reationships with service users, carers and other professionas/ practitioners criticay examine the underpinning discipines of bioogy, psychoogy, socioogy, pharmacoogy and their appication to nursing practice across the ifespan and heath iness continuum synthesise and chaenge information, research findings and evidence to inform strategies that promote heath, recovery or a peacefu death and inform the deivery of compassionate, person-centred nursing care. criticay anayse nursing care needs and deveop innovative, coaborative soutions which enabe safe and effective person- and famiy-centred care evauate risk management strategies that promote a safe and therapeutic environment criticay evauate a range of eadership and management styes to deveop strategies for promoting and sustaining practice innovation and practice improvement effectivey utiise modes of refection to support the deveopment of interpersona skis and competence and to chaenge and improve the performance of sef and others in the deivery of heathcare practices. Key skis and the abiity to: demonstrate anaytica thinking in the seection and utiisation of appropriate skis of enquiry, incuding the synthesis of ideas and the abiity to chaenge accepted wisdom independenty pan, monitor, evauate and improve your own earning and performance contribute to socia cohesion in teams, communicating ceary across differing settings and sectors to reduce confict and inform and deveop practice 6 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

7 2. Structure of your quaification deveop and optimise the achievement of persona improvement, professiona maturity, resourcefuness and imagination to enhance creative probem soving and soution discovery use information iteracy, technoogy toos and numeracy skis as appropriate to find, criticay evauate, process, present and communicate information. Practica and professiona skis and the abiity to: demonstrate competence in professiona judgement in managing yoursef and others in accordance with professiona, ethica, mora and ega frameworks to ensure that the primacy of the service user, carer and community is maintained manage and take the initiative for panning to meet your own deveopment needs and faciitate the deveopment of others sensitivey deveop, deiver and document care across the ifespan to promote optima heath, appropriate rehabiitation or a peacefu death deveop individuaised and appropriate therapeutic reationships with service users, carers and communities that promote and enabe invovement throughout heathcare processes and proactivey encourage partnership working and coaboration across professiona groups and service boundaries utiise information technoogy to assist in the organisation and management of nursing care, inter-professiona service deivery and interagency working, incuding using data accuratey in compex cases confidenty ead comprehensive and systematic assessment, panning, impementation and evauation of person-centred care create and maintain safe environments of care through critica evauation, raising concerns where appropriate, monitoring and assuring quaity and effectivey using risk management strategies faciitate the earning of service users, carers and others so they are empowered to take contro of their heath, iness and end-of-ife care promote and sustain innovation in practice through effective eadership and change management. 2.3 Teaching and earning methods An introduction to supported open earning and what to expect when studying with the OU is avaiabe here: www2.open.ac.uk/students/new/exceptions/. You wi earn directy from your experiences in practice and through knowedge and understanding acquired from speciay prepared earning materias. These materias use a variety of earning approaches, incuding service user and carer accounts, expert practitioner faciitated discussions and debate, sef-assessment questions, video and audio materias, reference texts, computer-aided earning packages, directed reading, formative and summative interactive computer-marked assessments (icmas), forums, tutorias, printed and web-based resources. To progress through the quaification you wi be required to integrate your theoretica earning (earning for practice) and your practice-based earning (earning in practice) in 7 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

8 3. Key sources of information and support order to inform the deivery of safe, effective, compassionate, person and famiy-centred care. As you progress, you wi be expected to earn and practise increasingy independenty and wi be encouraged to form communities of earning with other students on the quaification. This wi be promoted through face-to-face meetings where reevant and feasibe, onine discussion forum activities, teephone and emai contact. A practice tutor (PT) and practice-based mentor wi faciitate and support your practice earning in each setting where you gain experience. The three practice-based modues KYN117 Enhancing your heathcare practice, KYN237 Principes and skis for nursing practice and KYN317 Preparing for graduate practice are eongated and run over at east one caendar year. Each of these modues contributes to your tota practice hours (2310) and provides supported earning opportunities for you to enhance and deveop your nursing skis, cuminating in you being abe to demonstrate a graduate profie that wi enabe you to deiver highy skied, evidence-based care and exercise eadership to individuas and communities. 3. Key sources of information and support 3.1 StudentHome This is the gateway to your 24/7 access to The OU and a the information you need to successfuy compete your pre-registration nursing quaification. Whether you want to make contact with your modue tutor, find a ibrary book or journa artice, submit an assignment, check what comes next in your study programme, carify the reguations for your quaification, join the Student Union and much, much more, StudentHome is your starting point. Visit and og on using your student user name and password. Your home page provides direct access to the modues you are currenty studying and key services such as the ibrary, your earner support team and services for disabed students. It aso takes you to six important areas: StudentHome Profie Dashboard Study Community Hep Centre If you are new to OU study, we recommend that you compete the induction for undergraduate students because this takes you through a the essentia eements of StudentHome and is a quick route to heping you fee focused and engaged with your new ife as a nursing student. Cick on the ink beow and choose the correct option for you: 8 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

9 3. Key sources of information and support 3.2 Key contacts The Nursing quaification team wi provide any support and guidance you need. In addition, the student services and the student support teams, ocated across the UK, are aso avaiabe to hep you. When you need advice, try to contact the team or the specific member of staff best paced to dea with your query. If you are unsure about whom to approach, pease contact the Student Support Team, who wi direct you to the most appropriate team or individua. The easiest way to make contact with teams or individuas is via emai; this aows you to get in touch during or outside norma working hours and provides a record of the questions or concerns you have raised. Teephone numbers are avaiabe, but you need to be aware that staff may not be abe to take your ca immediatey, so be prepared to eave a message. Letting us know as soon as possibe when questions, concerns or issues arise is an important part of enabing us to hep you. There is a vast array of expertise across the university and most issues can be easiy resoved, but ony if you te us about them. So however big or sma the matter seems to you, do get in touch we are here to hep. Who to contact: Individua personne Roe Contact information For queries reated to: Modue tutor StudentHome home page Academic matters such as: Tutoria information Understanding modue concepts Assignment guidance Deveoping academic skis Practice tutor StudentHome home page Practice matters such as: Staff tutor/regiona Education Manager StudentHome hep tab A-Z of resources R Regiona centres Seect your oca centre Practice earning requirements Practice earning experiences Assessment of practice Persona concerns or issues Reporting sickness/absence Raising practice-reated concerns Supernumerary status issues Matters such as: Nursing quaification issues Escaating practice-reated concerns Funding queries Additiona support queries Mentor Practice setting Matters such as: Practice earning experiences 9 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

10 3. Key sources of information and support Assessment of practice Reporting sickness/absence Raising practice-reated concerns Empoyer Link Provided by the empoyer Matters such as: Supernumerary status issues Supervision issues Impact of practice Reconfiguration on earning in practice Uniforms and saary queries Advice on empoyer contractua issues Escaating practice-reated concerns Who to contact: Support teams Team Contact information For queries reated to: Computing services StudentHome Hep Instaing/running modue software Student Support Teams (SSTs) >Services >Computing Guide >Computing hepdesk StudentHome home page >How to contact your SST Emai address Teephone number Support with OU IT systems Usernames or passwords Access to onine faciities Requesting additiona support Advice on student reguations Arranging a deferra Making a compaint Library services StudentHome Hep Finding books and journas >Services >Library Services >Library hepdesk Doing a iterature search Referencing and pagiarism Accessing oca ibraries Services for disabed students StudentHome Hep Disabed students aowance >Services >Services for disabed students >Contacts Equipment and other services Examination arrangements Communication support Other support StudentHome - Hep Missing study materias >Services >More contacts Assignment submission Concerns Degree ceremonies 10 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

11 3. Key sources of information and support >See more contacts Compaints and appeas More information about roes is avaiabe in Section 5. How we contact you Just as we ask you to contact us by emai, we wi aso contact you by emai. Therefore, be sure to check your emai inbox at east twice each week. If the message requires a response, be sure to answer within four days of the time that the message was sent. If you need onger to respond, pease send a hoding message to indicate when you wi be abe to respond fuy to the message. Note: you shoud ensure that you are whoy professiona in any emai address you use for persona use (e.g. the type of emai address to be avoided is drinkingbuddy@mai.com). 3.3 Support for students with additiona requirements The OU s mission of being open to peope, paces, methods and ideas aims to provide access to higher education to a, regardess of their circumstances. If you are a student with a disabiity or have additiona requirements, the Access Centre is dedicated to ensure that you are provided with whatever technica and/or practica support you need to study successfuy. If you have aready et us know about any disabiity or additiona needs (for exampe, dysexia or hearing impairment) and have aso given permission for this information to be shared, then each of your tutors wi receive detais about the types of support you woud find most hepfu. Get in touch with the Access Centre to tak through your needs as they wi respond to your individua earning needs and taior support appropriatey. You must aso ensure that the ead practitioner in areas where you undertake practice earning is notified so that adjustments can be made to support your practice deveopment. If you have never had a forma assessment for additiona needs, but you fee this may be hepfu to you, pease contact the Access Centre directy. The centre staff are friendy, supportive and fuy committed to ensuring students with additiona needs can make the most of their potentia by guiding them through the needs assessment process. 3.4 The Open University Students Association (OUSA) As a student registered with the OU, you automaticay become a member of OUSA. You can find out more about what OUSA does for you by visiting their website Further support In addition to the sources of support outined above, you wi be studying aongside other students on the pre-registration nursing quaification. You wi get to know students in your tutor groups and wi meet them in tutorias and through onine forums. Feow students are 11 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

12 3. Key sources of information and support an important source of support to you so do make every effort to fuy participate in student group activities. Some students have arranged to meet sociay or as a study group for mutua support which can be usefu throughout your studies. Given studying at a distance can fee oney sometimes informa student contact can reay hep you to fee part of a friendship group through your studies with the OU. Provided beow is a quick reference fow diagram to guide you through gaining answers to questions you have from the most appropriate person. 12 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

13 4. Becoming a student nurse Answered Question resoved? Yes Answered Answered No Answered B depends on the nature of the question The term Staff Tutor Nursing aso encompasses Staff tutors and Regiona Education Managers who are responsibe for managing the OU Pre-Registration Nursing programme. The term Empoyer Link refers to the named individua within the empoying organisation on the PRNP Degree presentation. 4. Becoming a student nurse 13 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

14 4. Becoming a student nurse 4.1 Roe transition You are studying part-time to become a registered nurse and typicay you are continuing to work part-time as an empoyee in your supporting organisation. If your roe as an empoyee and your roe as a student occur in the same heathcare setting, one of the main chaenges for you and your work coeagues is to differentiate these roes ceary. It may take time for you and others to adjust to this situation. When you are in practice as a student, it is important to stay focused on meeting your earning needs, deveoping and enhancing practice-reated skis, achieving your competencies and so ensuring you meet the NMC s practice requirements. If you are asked to perform tasks that are normay part of your empoyee roe, you wi need to remind coeagues poitey that you are there as a student and have particuar earning needs to fufi. Your practice coeagues wi know that you are a supernumerary student and that you are required to participate in practice earning opportunities. If you encounter any difficuty in securing time or support to participate in earning opportunities, pease discuss this with your mentor. You shoud aso aert your practice tutor straight away to any issues so that he/she can monitor the situation, ensure that you have access to reevant earning and make contact with the appropriate empoyer ink if issues are not resoved. 4.2 Supernumerary status During practice earning you are required by the NMC to be recognised as supernumerary. You earn in a supernumerary capacity under the supervision of a named practitioner (your mentor) and with the support of your empoyer and PT. The amount of negotiated time as supernumerary determines the pace at which you can progress through the quaification. Your PT wi ensure that these arrangements are satisfactory. Supernumerary status is defined as: you are not working as a paid member of staff or care team and you are not rostered as part of the workforce you have a ega right to practise in the designated setting as a student rather than as an empoyee your practice earning is overseen by your PT who has responsibiity for faciitating access to practice earning opportunities to enabe you to fufi the NMC s experience requirements and achieve its specified competencies you receive supervision and support from a mentor who is empoyed by your empoying organisation and whose name appears on the ive register of mentors. Supernumerary status protects you in four specific ways: it aows you to compete educationa activities within your practice environment it ensures that you are free to negotiate access to practice opportunities in settings outside your core practice-base it aows you to undertake cient foow-through(s) or experience care pathways it ensures that you are not incuded in the workforce numbers so that your absence from empoyed practice does not jeopardise the abiity of your coeagues to meet service users needs. 14 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

15 4. Becoming a student nurse 4.3 Dress Code If the wearing of uniform is required, your sponsor/empoyer wi provide it. The choice of uniform (its design and coour) wi be made by the practice provider and not the university. Some empoyers have decided that students shoud wear their student uniform for the entire quaification. In order that you can be recognised as an OU student, an eectronic copy of the OU ogo is provided so that your empoyer organisation can add it to the empoyer-provided identity on the uniform. In a practice ocations it is important that you compy with oca poicy with regard to appropriate dress and it is your responsibiity to seek out this information prior to accessing practice experiences outside of your core practice-base and ensure you compy with it. 4.4 Poicy on attendance in practice The Nursing and Midwifery Counci (NMC) require you to meet a minimum of 2300 hours in practice which is demonstrated through your Portfoio (avaiabe on the modue websites). The quaification requires you to compete 2310 practice hours. Your Portfoio contains forms to record your practice earning hours, which you must compete contemporaneousy in order to account for a the hours you undertake in practice as a student nurse. The tota hours required in each practice-based modue is given beow: KYN117 Enhancing your heathcare practice (600 hours) KYN237 Principes and skis for nursing practice (855 hours) KYN317 Preparing for graduate practice (855 hours) It is important that you ensure that practice hours are signed off on the day they are competed and that your mentor signs to confirm the number of hours you have competed each month. Your practice tutor wi monitor the practice hours you have competed and intervene, as necessary, shoud you fa short of the required number of practice earning hours due to sickness or other circumstances. Some Trust empoyers inks may aso wish to keep copies of your attendance in practice. Trave to, from and between practice experiences At a times you must adhere to your empoyer s poicy or those of the organisation providing practice experience(s) for you. If you use your own car to access quaificationbased practice experiences, you must compy with the requirements of your car insurance company. 4.5 Poicy on competion of theory hours In addition, the NMC require you to meet a minimum of 2300 hours of theory. The quaification requires you to compete 2450 theory hours. These are achieved and demonstrated in a number of ways: 15 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

16 4. Becoming a student nurse Teaching through the modue materias incuding resources and integrated earning activities are carefuy timed and tested as part of the modue deveopment process. The timing of units of earning, any associated reading resources and the modue activities is made expicit throughout a materias. Some of the inks within the onine modue materias may become inaccessibe. When this occurs, the inks wi either be updated or new ones created addressing simiar issues in the modue materias. Practice supervisors are registered practitioners who support a student s earning in practice, but do not undertake formative or summative assessment (these terms are expained further in section 7.1). However they can verify evidence produced by a student, who has spent time earning particuar skis with their supervision. It is important that you use your study panner to guide your progress through each modue. By doing so, the study effort required of you is made expicit and your progress through each modue wi therefore be aigned to the timetabed tutoria and onine focused activities. There is a study panner provided on each modue website. Modue tutors wi work with you in tutor groups of around 20 students. Tutors are required to monitor your participation with modue materia and reated activities. You wi have contact with tutors through a mix of face-to-face tuition, synchronous sessions using OU Live and asynchronous onine forums. It is obigatory that you attend a tutorias and engage in a the onine forum activities across the quaification. This is a requirement for you to obtain your quaification. Modue tutors wi foow up individua students who are not participating in these earning processes. Ongoing concerns about ack of student participation wi be reported to the Staff Tutor/Regiona Education Manager at Region or Nation eve so this can be investigated and appropriate action taken. Assessment, particuary the Tutor-Marked Assignments (TMAs) and Interactive Computer Marked Assignments (icmas), is often inked to sma custers of earning (bocks). Feedback from assessments wi refect your participation and eve of earning from the modue materias and activities. Your progression through the quaification wi be compromised if you do not participate fuy with a the modue resources and the earning opportunities presented. 4.6 Sickness, absence and progress You are expected to keep reevant peope informed of any sickness, absence and your progress during the quaification. In particuar, you have a responsibiity with regards to sickness and absence to: inform the practice area manager, your ine manager (if different to the practice area manager) and your practice tutor of any sickness or other absence attend a tutorias and meetings as arranged, or in exceptiona circumstances to notify reevant personne of your absence in advance record a sickness and absence monthy, on the record of student hours forms within the Portfoio. You must submit a copy of the competed record of student hours within 4 days of the month ending to your practice tutor. Your practice tutor is responsibe for monitoring your sickness and absence and recording it during the modue and report sickness and 16 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

17 4. Becoming a student nurse absence on a monthy basis to staff tutor/regiona education manager for monitoring across the quaification. If any concerns about your heath and/or sickness and absence emerge during a modue the practice tutor wi inform the staff tutor/regiona education manager at the time. You must report any sickness and or absence to your empoyer according to oca poicies and procedures determined by your empoying organisation. And you have a responsibiity to effectivey manage your progress through the programme by: aerting those responsibe for supporting your earning of any concerns or difficuties you have regarding your progress at an eary stage, so that you can access appropriate guidance and support. This woud be your Modue Tutor for moduespecific issues and your mentor and practice tutor for any issues reating to practice; you have the right that any persona circumstances that you discose wi be deat with confidentiay. If you are considering deferring or postponing a modue within the BSc Nursing quaification you must contact your Staff Tutor or Regiona Education Manager immediatey to discuss this. 4.7 Student rights and responsibiities As an OU student, you can expect that a matters wi be deat with in accordance with OU poicies and procedures. The OU code of conduct The OU has a number of poicies reating to students, incuding computer use, socia networking, academic conduct, buying, harassment and data protection, which can be found here Pease ensure that you are famiiar with these. The OU Student Charter sets out a summary of what you can expect of the OU and what the OU expects from you. As a student of the OU, you are expected to act in accordance with this charter. Student compaints It is anticipated that any concerns you have can be addressed through informa discussion with members of the team supporting your earning. However, shoud you wish to make a forma compaint or appea, detais of the OU s appeas and compaints procedures are avaiabe at www2.open.ac.uk/students/compaints/questions-and-answers-about-the-compaintsand-appeas-process.php. A compaints are taken seriousy; every compaint wi be fuy investigated and you wi be kept informed of progress throughout. 17 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

18 4. Becoming a student nurse 4.8 Access to Eectronic Patient/Service User Records In the wake of the introduction of eectronic or digita patient/service user records it is of paramount importance that patients/service users can be confident that their medica records are kept secure and confidentia in ine with current egisation and poicy (Department of Heath, Socia Services and Pubic Safety (Northern Ireand) 2006; Department of Heath, 2003; Heath and Socia Care Information Centre, 2013 and NHS Scotand 2011). The Open University recognises that students undertaking the Pre-Registration Nursing quaification may, as empoyees within heathcare organisations, have pre-existing access profies. These profies may provide access to patient/service users records through staff og-in and password, by smart card access or other eectronic means. Where this is the case you must ensure that you foow your empoyer s poicy in respect to the creation of an additiona profie specific to your roe as a student nurse. Whenever you are fufiing your supernumerary practice hours, you must not use your empoyee identity or profie or the profie of any other empoyee to access patient/service user records. Department of Heath, Socia Services and Pubic Safety, Northern Ireand (2006) Standards for Records Management (accessed 02/10/12). NHS Scotand (2011) Accessing Persona Information on Patients and Staff: A Framework for NHS Scotand (accessed 02/10/12). Heath and Socia Care Information Centre (2013) A guide to confidentiaity in heath and socia care (accessed 25/11/14). 4.9 Fitness to practise As a student on a professiona nursing quaification, you are expected to maintain professiona standards of behaviour in accordance with the Code (NMC 2015) and supporting guidance such as on raising concerns and socia networking. For further information about professiona standards and guidance go to the NMC website. The Open University is required by the NMC to assure itsef that students competing a NMC approved quaification eading to registration with the NMC are of good character and good heath and therefore fit to practise as a registered nurse (NMC 2008, amended November 2010). A fitness to practise issue is any possibe misconduct, ack of competence and/or a heath/ disabiity matter that coud pace at risk the heath and webeing of the pubic. The overriding purpose of the NMC s Fitness to Practise Review Process is to safeguard the heath and webeing of the pubic. It is vita you understand the importance of good heath and good character in reation to your abiity (conduct and character) and capacity (heath and disabiity) to study the preregistration nursing quaification. The NMC s guidance to students on good heath and character can be accessed at: 18 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

19 4. Becoming a student nurse The Nursing Department s Fitness to Practise poicy The Nursing Department s Fitness to Practise review process Sef-Decaration of heath and character If at any time during your studies: Your heath deteriorates You or anyone ese has any concern about your heath you commit a crimina offence You or anyone ese has any concerns about your conduct You must sef-decare these immediatey to both your empoyer and the university. These woud not necessariy precude you from continuing your studies, but wi enabe a risk assessment to be conducted in order that we can maintain pubic safety and ensure your we-being is protected. It is your responsibiity to seek advice from your practice supervisor and you wi be required to compete the sefdecaration of heath and character form avaiabe from your practice modues website. This is critica because one of the NMC s requirements on competion of the quaification is seeking a confirmation statement that you are of sufficient good heath and good character to practise safey. Note: you wi be required to decare in your Portfoio that you are of sufficient good heath and good character to practise safey when you compete each practice-based modue in the quaification. To ensure we respond appropriatey to concerns about a student s fitness to practise we have deveoped a fitness to practise review process which can be accessed on the quaification website via the practice modues websites. The process is made up of three phases: The aert phase This phase is when the OU is made aware of a possibe fitness to practise issue. The OU may be aerted by anyone who is invoved in supporting you on the quaification or a member of the pubic. The risk assessment phase This phase is concerned with estabishing whether there is an unacceptabe risk to service users, the student and feow practitioners. If a risk is identified action wi be taken to minimise the risk. The fu investigation phase This phase is concerned with gathering together and anaysing a the information that wi hep the OU to decide whether: a student is fit to practise modifications to the quaification are needed to enabe the student to be fit to practise the student is unfit to practise and therefore the student shoud eave the quaification. At a times the safety of the pubic and practitioners, incuding students is of paramount importance. Additionay, as a seconded part-time student you continue to be empoyed by your empoyer and therefore continue to be responsibe for your conduct as an empoyee, as set out in your contract of empoyment. 19 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

20 5. How the OU Supports You These persona and professiona expectations of your behaviour wi continue for the rest of your career after you enter the NMC professiona register as a quaified nurse. If you have any questions reating to any issues reating to conduct, you shoud aways seek carity from your mentor, practice tutor, empoyer ink or staff tutor/regiona education manager. Remember it is aways safer to ask for advice than engage in an activity that might eave you or a service user in a vunerabe position, due to misunderstanding or ignorance. 5. How the OU Supports You A rich array of sources of support is avaiabe via your StudentHome web page; these incude: New to OU study Try something different OU essentia Deveoping good academic practices Services Jugging home, work and study Your computer Study skis/support (accessed via In addition to these web-based resources, there is a range of different resources and support that coud be made avaiabe to you. Pease tak to your modue tutor and staff tutor/regiona education manager if you identify areas where support may be needed. 20 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

21 5. How the OU Supports You 5.1 Support for your theory-based (academic) and practice-based earning Modue tutors Modue tutors are part-time ecturers appointed for their modue-specific expertise. They wi steer your earning through the modue materias, encourage you to keep on track according to the modue study panner, faciitate tutorias and moderate onine forums, provide study skis support and deveopment, advise on writing assignments, and assess and provide detaied constructive feedback on each assignment. You shoud contact your modue tutor if you have any modue-specific queries or concerns reating to your theory-based earning. Practice tutors A practice tutor wi be appointed to support your earning in practice. Practice tutors are typicay practising nurses, who hod a recordabe teaching quaification with the NMC. Their roe is to: quaity assure the practice earning environments in which you gain experience ensure that appropriate arrangements are in pace for you to compy with NMC requirements for practice earning monitor your achievement of the required experiences and competed practice hours support your production of evidence to demonstrate achievement of the NMC competencies 21 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

22 5. How the OU Supports You participate in three-way (tripartite) meetings with you and your mentor ensure you are effectivey supported by your mentor and, as appropriate, your signoff mentor review the competion of assessment documentation provide you with information about any further support or pastora care that you might require. You shoud contact your practice tutor if you have any queries or concerns reating to your practice earning, or if you have persona probems that are affecting (or may affect) your progress on a practice-based modue. You are required to send to your practice tutor information regarding your practice earning, every month. Staff tutors/regiona education managers There is at east one staff tutor or regiona education manager in every region and nation where students are studying the pre-registration nursing quaification. The staff tutor or regiona education manager is responsibe for overseeing the oca deivery of the quaification. They are registered nurses who support, advise and manage the modue tutors and practice tutors, as we as having responsibiity for the quaity assurance of the pre-registration nursing quaification in their ocaity. You can contact the staff tutor/ regiona education manager directy if you have any issue or concern about the quaification that you beieve has not been fuy addressed by the reevant tutor. Empoyer ink In each empoyer organisation that supports students on the OU s pre-registration nursing quaification, there is a key contact an empoyer ink whose responsibiity it is to ensure that the OU has access to key information such as mentor registers, education audits and practice earning capacity. Importanty, they keep the OU informed about any practice reconfigurations that might affect your earning. You shoud contact your empoyer ink if you have any concerns about such changes or if you have a query reating to your roe as a seconded student. Queries might reate to the oca poicy on uniforms, identity badges, trave expenses, oca earning contracts and appying for posts on competion of the quaification. If in any doubt, pease contact your empoyer ink. Organisations must provide reease for students to compete a supernumerary practice hours as required by the NMC. Reease for theory hours is subject to oca negotiation. Mentor and sign-off mentor Opportunities to earn in differing practice environments wi be avaiabe in a three practice-based modues. In each new earning environment, you wi be aocated a mentor or practice supervisor who wi oversee your practice earning, deveopment and, if reevant, assess your competence in practice. Mentors are registered nurses who are responsibe and accountabe for: organising and co-ordinating your earning activities in practice supervising you in earning situations and providing you with constructive feedback on your achievements setting and monitoring the achievement of reaistic earning objectives 22 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

23 5. How the OU Supports You monitoring and assessing (where reevant) tota performance, incuding skis, attitudes and behaviours providing the evidence required by the university of your achievement or ack of achievement iaising with others to provide feedback, identify any concerns about your performance and agree any foow-up actions as appropriate. At the fina practice assessment period of the quaification, the mentor is required to: provide evidence of the achievement of proficiency at the end of the quaification for the sign-off mentor or, if acting as the sign-off mentor, to make a decision about the achievement of competence at the end of the quaification. NMC (2008) Standards to support earning and assessment in practice As you wi be working cosey with mentors in practice, you shoud go to them with any queries you have reated to your practice earning. It is important that you keep your ongoing achievement record (OAR) up to date, as your mentor wi use this to review your deveoping practice and your earning needs. In order to compy with the NMC s standards to support earning and assessment in practice, your mentor must meet a number of requirements. Practice providers wi use the foowing criteria to assess whether a practitioner is suitabe to act as your mentor/sign-off mentor. Mentor requirements The mentor must: be registered within the same fied of practice in which the student intends to quaify (for stages 2 and 3 of the OU quaification: adut or menta heath) have deveoped their own knowedge, skis and competence beyond registration and been registered for at east one year have successfuy competed an NMC approved mentor preparation programme be entered on the ocay hed register of mentors (normay hed by Heathcare Trust/ practice earning providers) have competed an annua mentor update within the previous tweve months which is vaid for the period in which the student is supported participated in a triennia (three yeary) review of his/her mentoring performance in accordance with NMC Requirements (2008) not have a persona, famiy or friendship reationship with the student concerned be avaiabe to supervise (directy or indirecty) the student for a minimum of 40% of the time that the student is invoved in direct care within the practice setting have the abiity to seect, support and assess a range of earning opportunities in their area of practice for the student be abe to support earning in an inter-professiona environment seecting and supporting a range of earning opportunities for students from other professions 23 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

24 5. How the OU Supports You have the abiity to contribute to the assessment of other professionas under the supervision of an experienced assessor from that profession be abe to make judgements about competence/proficiency of NMC students on the same part of the register (for stages 2 and 3), and in the same fied of practice, and be accountabe for such decisions be abe to support other nurses and midwives in meeting Continuing Professiona Deveopment (CPD) needs in accordance with the Code: Standards for conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives (NMC, 2008). In addition, to undertake summative assessment of student performance during the preregistration nursing quaification, the mentor must be a first eve registered nurse. Second eve registered nurses can make a contribution to faciitating earning and supervision of nursing students but they cannot make summative assessment decisions. Sign-off mentor requirements Sign-off mentors must: be identified on the oca register as a sign-off mentor or a practice teacher be a first eve registrant on the same part of the register be practising in the same fied of practice as that in which the student intends to quaify have time aocated to refect, give feedback and keep records of student achievements in their fina period of practice earning. This wi be the equivaent of an hour per student per week have cinica currency and capabiity in the fied in which the student is being assessed have a working knowedge of current quaification requirements, practice assessment strategies and reevant changes in education and practice for the student they are assessing have an understanding of NMC registration requirements and the contribution they make to the achievement of these requirements have an in-depth understanding of their accountabiity to the NMC for the decision they must make to pass or fai a student when assessing proficiency requirements at the end of a quaification have been supervised on at east three occasions for signing off proficiency by an existing sign-off mentor Practice supervisors Practice supervisors are registered practitioners who support a student s earning in practice, but do not undertake formative or summative assessment. However they can verify evidence produced by a student, who has spent time earning particuar skis with their supervision. 24 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015

25 6. Your earning journey 6. Your earning journey Throughout your studies you wi compete theory-based earning activities which enabe you to gain the knowedge and understanding to practise safey. Theory-based earning is often referred to as earning for practice. In addition you wi compete episodes of practice-based earning often referred to as earning in practice which enabe you to appy your knowedge and understanding and deveop caring skis to meet the needs of service users confidenty and competenty. In each of the three stages of the quaification you compete theory and practice-based modues. Both types of modue compement each other and therefore are of equa importance to your achievement of the profie required of a registered nurse. 6.1 Theory-based earning Your pre-registration nursing quaification is divided into eves and modues of study. Just as you progress through three stages in your practice earning, you progress through three academic eves as you study the quaification. In doing so you wi gain confidence and skis in expressing yoursef in writing to create a baanced argument, critica thinking and critica evauation skis. It is important that you take responsibiity for your own earning as an adut earner. Leves Leve 1: At Leve 1 you demonstrate your knowedge about what you find out whie discussing reevant topics. Its purpose is to stimuate and faciitate interest in heath and socia care and how it is appied to your care settings. You are encouraged to describe what you have earned. This wi ink into your practice experiences outined beow centred on the unique needs of the various cient groups you meet whie in your core practice base and aternative care setting. Leve 2: At Leve 2 you not ony discuss what you have found out but you appy it to your own practice as a student nurse. At this eve you assimiate a substantia amount of knowedge so that you can gain insight into and understand the diverse range of cient and patient groups you wi encounter and how to address their needs through anaysis of their needs set against the evidence-based responses of care services. Specific requirements to achieve reated competencies are found here. Leve 3: By eve 3 you deveop the critica skis of anaysis to work in a compex heath care setting as an autonomous and innovative nurse. You deveop your skis of anaysis and critique where the emphasis is not on the amount of knowedge you have accumuated but on how you hande and critique that knowedge. You earn more to further enhance your person centred practice in reation to the specific whoe-person needs of individuas. Each modue guides your earning by providing underying theory on key concepts and evidence-based knowedge to enabe you to earn the necessary skis to practise nursing. Modue descriptors can be found at the back of this handbook. 25 of 66 Monday 17 August 2015