Comprehensive Master of Science Nursing Practice and Clinical Placement Study Guide

Academic Mentorship and Field Planning

• Academic Mentor Allocation:

  • Students are assigned academic mentors across different settings. Allocations may consist of one hospital mentor and one community mentor, or two hospital mentors.

  • Mentors change annually because Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) regulations prohibit an academic mentor/assessor from managing a student for two consecutive years.

  • Re-allocation or formal review of an academic mentor assignment requires robust, justified reasons and must follow established review procedures.

• Training Ownership and Proficiency Planning:

  • Students must take active ownership of their training to ensure all required annual proficiencies are completed.

  • Certain clinical proficiencies cannot be attained in community settings; forward planning across placements is mandatory.

  • Students must consult with their initial mentor to establish which proficiencies can be completed in the current placement and plan for remaining requirements in subsequent placements.

Practical Clinical Skills and Simulation Training

• Mandatory Practical Skills Sessions:

  • Moving and Handling: Theoretical principles delivered by Admiral Sartre, followed by mandatory practical training.

  • Aseptic Non-Touch Technique (ANTT): Core mandatory competency.

  • Vital Signs Monitoring & Injections: Full practical instruction provided to all students regardless of prior experience.

  • Scenario & Simulation Assessments: Airway management, venepuncture (taking blood), lacerations, bed space management, chest auscultation, nasogastric (NG) tube insertion, catheterisation, and simulated A-E (ATG) assessments.

• Scheduling and Timetabling Logistics:

  • Practical skills sessions scheduled for Thursdays may be rescheduled to Mondays due to room booking conflicts.

  • Official schedules, group divisions, and updated dates are posted on the Keele Learning Environment (KLE) accompanied by announcement tags.

  • App timetables display basic parameters (date, time, room number) without granular topic details; specific weekly breakdowns are detailed on the KLE.

• Prior Experience and Standardization:

  • Training starts from scratch for all students, regardless of past healthcare roles or existing competency in blood sampling, cannulation, or medicine administration.

• Field-Specific Adaptations & Starred Proficiencies:

  • NG Tube Insertion: Mental health nursing students rarely encounter NG tube procedures outside eating disorder units. Proficiency is addressed via pre-reading, procedural study, practical simulation in the skills lab, and a formal professional discussion.

  • Starred Proficiencies ($\text{*}$): Identified by asterisks in the Practice Assessment Document (PAD). Starred proficiencies do not require sign-off in Year 1 but must be completed prior to program completion. If unachieved in clinical practice by Year 3, sign-off is completed within the university skills lab.

Mandatory Training Requirements and Platforms

• Mandatory In-Person Sessions:

  • Basic Life Support (BLS): Practical BLS is mandatory for all student nurses (Advanced Life Support is not offered to undergraduate/master's student nurses).

  • Personal Safety: A full-day mandatory course required prior to placement entry. Cohort allocations occur across scheduled dates (e.g., September 2, September 9, November 16). Mental health students require a half-day update in Year 2.

  • Safeguarding Day: Mandatory full-day session covering Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), sexual assault, mental health, and safeguarding principles. Includes Active Bystander training led by Ben Granville. Paper attendance registers are enforced; missed sessions require compensatory study.

• E-Learning Platforms and Registration:

  • e-Learning for Health (eLfH): Logins sent via automated email system.

  • ClinicalSkills.net: Account activation emails provide temporary credentials that require password updates upon initial login. The platform dashboard features "Guides" and "Assessments" (including local assessments). Mental health students must complete the adult-specific modules (e.g., adult anaphylaxis).

  • SafeMedicate: Account setup links distributed via email for calculation and medication safety modules.

• Compliance Management and Keele Portfolio:

  • The mandatory training checklist on Blackboard must be completed by $\text{October 30}$.

  • Completed training certificates must be saved and uploaded to the "Keele Portfolio" within the "Other Documents" section of the electronic Practice Assessment Document (ePAD) for Academic Assessor verification.

  • Name spelling errors on eLfH certificates must be corrected within platform user profile settings or reported directly to the academic mentor.

• Certificate Validity & Renewal Rules:

  • Prior workplace eLfH training completed within the preceding $\text{12 months}$ is accepted upon uploading proof of certification.

  • Annual renewal ($\text{every 12 months}$) is mandatory for: Fire Safety, Practical BLS, Infection Prevention and Control, eLfH Moving and Handling, and Data Protection.

  • Single-occurrence (one-off) trainings include: Gown Training, Sexual Harassment Training, and Anaphylaxis Training.

  • The CSE e-learning module is required only if the in-person Safeguarding Day is missed.

  • Module Lead is the sole point of contact for mandatory training queries (via Microsoft Teams or email).

Academic Curriculum, Pre-Reading, and Self-Directed Study

• Flipped Learning Model:

  • Pre-reading and lecture slide reviews must be completed before practical and skills sessions to avoid spending session time on basic demonstrations.

  • Post-session reviews are required to reinforce learning and achieve deep knowledge retention.

  • Weekly folders on KLE contain mandatory study materials, while "Resources to Stretch Learning" folders contain research journal articles designed to develop critical appraisal skills for future research modules and dissertations.

• Anatomy and Physiology (A&P):

  • No standalone A&P module exists in the Master's curriculum.

  • Students are required to conduct self-directed A&P study targeted directly to clinical placement specialties:

  • Neurological Wards: Brain and nervous system A&P.

  • Cardiology: Heart and pulmonary system A&P.

  • Gastroenterology: Stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestinal tract A&P.

Clinical Placements, Supervision, and Spoke Days

• Hub and Spoke Structure:

  • Clinical placements operate as a $\text{9-week}$ hub placement.

  • Spoke days allow students to spend single days in specialist areas linked to their hub placement (e.g., cardiac catheterisation lab, Tissue Viability Nurse consultations, Infection Control, operating theatres, or minor injuries/rehabilitation at Haywood Hospital).

  • Wound care instruction for mental health students is consolidated into a field-specific Wound Care Day focused on self-harm wound management. Adult and child field students receive wound care exposure directly within ward environments.

• Placement Support Roles:

  • Practice Supervisor: Registered nurses who supervise and sign off daily practical activities and shifts.

  • Practice Assessor: Registered nurses with advanced training in student assessment. Mandatory key assessments (Episode of Care and Medicines Management) can only be assessed and signed off by a Practice Assessor.

  • Clinical Practice Facilitator (CPF) / Practice Education Facilitator (PEF): Trust-employed link nurses providing clinical support, monitoring progress, documenting messages within the ePAD, and establishing formal supportive action plans when learning issues arise.

• Field Days and Specialized Resources:

  • Field-specific study days focus on specialized topics (e.g., personality disorders).

  • Dedicated mental health handbooks and field resources authored by Charlotte Graham are hosted in weekly KLE field folders.

Performance Assessment, PAD, and Academic Assignments

• Key Assessment Deadline:

  • Practice documentation sign-offs and academic essay submissions are due on $\text{February 22}$ (with clinical placement assessment sign-offs concluded by $\text{February 21}$).

• Assessment Components and Weightings:

  1. Written Reflective Essay ($75\%$ Module Weighting):

  • A $\text{1,000-word}$ essay utilizing Driscoll's Model of Reflection ("What?", "So What?", "Now What?").

  • Focus: Critical reflection on building patient rapport while integrating leadership concepts.

  • Evaluated using a structured template. Formative writing retreat sessions are conducted in computer suites prior to final submission via Blackboard.

  1. Episode of Care Assessment ($25\%$ Module Weighting):

  • A $\text{30-minute}$ direct observation conducted exclusively by a Practice Assessor.

  • Requires providing care to a patient with complex needs (defined as multiple co-morbidities, frailty, combined physical/mental health conditions) or leading a $\text{30-minute}$ group therapy session.

  • Must include a written reflection within the ePAD executed prior to assessor grading. Academic references (e.g., NICE guidelines, local policies) may be integrated.

  • Cannot be fulfilled via a routine medicines pass or basic vital sign sweeps across multiple patients.

  1. Medicines Management Assessment (Pass/Fail):

  • Evaluated once per year by a Practice Assessor, preferably during a hospital placement setting.

  1. Professional Values (Pass/Fail):

  • Assessed at the mid-point and end-point of each placement based on the NMC Code (covering behavior, communication, punctuality, and uniform policy adherence).

  1. Service User & Carer Feedback:

  • Practice assessment documents require patient/carer feedback across 3 to 4 varied feedback forms. Must be collected in the presence of a supervisor/witness.

Dress Code and Professional Image Standards

• Uniform Standards for Skills Labs and Placements:

  • Uniforms and scrub tops must be clean, unwrinkled, ironed, short-sleeved, and adhere to standard "bare below the elbow" rules.

  • Footwear: Clean, wipeable, plain black shoes. Crocs are strictly prohibited.

  • Hair & Grooming: Long hair must be secured fully up and off the collar/shoulders. Nails must be short with zero nail polish. False/full eyelashes, wristwatches, and facial piercings are prohibited (a single pair of plain stud earrings is permitted). Light makeup only.

• Public Travel and Uniform Visibility:

  • When traveling in uniform, the uniform must be completely covered by outerwear so no part is visible to the public. Changing on-site at hospital facilities is strongly advised.

Clinical Placement Hours, Timesheets, and Absence Policies

• Placement Hour Accounting:

  • Students enter the program with $\text{660 practice hours}$ credited via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL / RPEL).

  • Clinical workloads are calculated on a standard baseline of $\text{37.5 hours}$ to $\text{40 hours}$ per week.

• Reflective Hours Allocation:

  • Students are allocated exactly $\text{3.5 reflective hours}$ per week.

  • Reflective hours must be taken weekly and cannot be rolled over, saved up, or claimed during sick leave.

  • Must be negotiated with placement managers (e.g., leaving $\text{3.5 hours}$ early, arriving late, or scheduling on non-shift days).

  • Reflective hours must be recorded on daily timesheets, signed off by clinical staff, and utilized for research, medical terminology reviews, or clinical reading.

• Absence Notification and Sickness Protocols:

  • Absence must be reported immediately to three parties: the Academic Assessor, the placement ward, and the Nursing Placements Team.

  • Sickness up to $\text{7 working days}$ requires a completed student self-certificate submitted to the Nursing Placements Team.

  • Sickness exceeding $\text{7 working days}$ requires an official Statement of Fitness for Work (fit note) from a General Practitioner (GP).

  • Annual leave dates are fixed by the university school administration (managed by Emily) and are non-negotiable. Unapproved absence during theory or placement blocks invalidates Exceptional Circumstances (EC) assessment requests.

Communication Policies and Support Networks

• Professional Email Guidelines:

  • All email communications sent from student accounts must include: Full Name, Student ID Number, Program of Study (Master's Adult / Mental Health Nursing), Cohort Number ($926$), and Academic Mentor Name.

  • Academic staff maintain a response window of up to $\text{5 working days}$. Standard working hours are $\text{08:00 to 16:00}$ or $\text{09:00 to 17:00}$.

  • Students are required to check their university email and Microsoft Teams messages at least once every $\text{48 hours}$.

  • Microsoft Teams group chats formatted by mentors are public to all assigned group members; private matters must be communicated via direct email or private message.

• Student Support Services:

  • Academic Mentor: Primary contact for academic, clinical, and program queries.

  • Ben Granville: Student Experience and Support Officer (handles health issues, overwhelmed status, and Exceptional Circumstances applications).

  • SNAMS Sustainability Team: Facilitates student car-share programs.

  • NHS Learning Support Fund (LSF): Provides financial reimbursement options for eligible travel expenses incurred during placement travel.

• 24-Hour Care Expectations & Extended Clinical Skills:

  • Students must gain experience across 24-hour shift rotations, including night shifts and weekends.

  • Extended clinical skills (venepuncture, cannulation, IV administration, catheterisation, NG tube placement) are governed by individual NHS Trust policies (e.g., Royal Stoke, Stafford, Leighton Hospital Crewe, Newcross Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury & Telford). Local trust training must be completed where mandated prior to execution.