Complementary practice learning experiences

The core practice-base may not offer all the statutory learning in practice requirements. For adult nursing these requirements are defined by the European Union (EU) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council. For mental health nursing the requirements are defined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council only.

EU practice learning requirements for students of adult nursing

• General and specialist medicine
• General and specialist surgery
• Child care and paediatrics
• Maternity care
• Mental health (and psychiatry)
• Care of older people (care of the old and geriatrics)
• Primary care nursing (home nursing)

(EU, 1977)

NMC practice learning requirements for students of adult nursing and mental health nursing

• Students must have supernumerary status
• Students must undertake 2,300 curricular hours in practice, in ‘direct patient contact’
• Learning in practice must be in the context of the student’s intended field of practice (for the OU programme adult or mental health nursing)
• Students must have achieved all the skills specified in the 'Record of skills development and achievement' section of their portfolio (pages 11-28) (pdf)
• Students are required to learn in practice as part of the inter professional team, and experience the delivery of care across 24 hours a day/seven days a week, across a range of services that provide healthcare and across dependency levels
• Practitioners who take on the role of mentor must comply with the NMC (2008) mentor standards (pdf)
• Practice learning periods that are to be summatively assessed require the support of a mentor, who will undertake assessment of student achievement
• Periods of practice that are to be summatively assessed must be a minimum of 20 days (150 hours) in length.

(NMC 2004, 2008, 2010)

Normally practice learning should be achieved in your student’s intended area of practice: either adult nursing or mental health nursing. However the NMC requires that all students of all fields of practice gain confidence in their ability to appreciate the unique needs of all service users across the age range and health support needs and to be insightful into the limitations of their competence to care for service users from other fields of practice. Students must therefore gain experience of working with adults, children and young people, people with mental health issues and people with learning disabilities . It might be achieved by your student following a care pathway approach with a patient or client from within the core practice-base. Alternatively the university, working in partnership with the employer, might arrange learning experiences away from the designated core practice-base, to ensure that this experience and confidence working across service user groups is achieved. The employer and the Practice Tutor will be able to offer advice as to the preferred approach within your organisation. If the student is unable to gain experiences relevant to certain criteria (for example service users with learning disabilities) please discuss this with the Practice Tutor so that they might help you determine other ways to meet NMC requirements.

Decisions regarding those learning experiences that will need to take place in complementary practice environments are guided by the practice learning profile that will have been completed for your practice setting.

OU practice learning requirements for students of adult nursing and mental health nursing

• In other than exceptional circumstances, within each practice module a period of practice will be undertaken in both a community setting and an inpatient setting (NMC 2010: 77, R6.5.1 & R6.5.2).
• Across the programme a minimum of three community-based experiences and three in-patient experiences will be completed (NMC 2010: 77, R6.5.1 & R6.5.2).
• A minimum of one complementary/contrasting practice learning experiences are to be completed within each stage in addition to that gained within the core practice-base
• In other than exceptional circumstances within each stage of the programme:
  – Adult nursing students are to complete 3 nights, preferably consecutively, so a total of 9 nights across the programme
  – Mental health nursing students are to complete either 3 nights or 3 twilight shifts, preferably consecutively, depending on the nature of the service, so a total of 9 nights across the programme.

The complementary practice learning experiences are provided to broaden your student’s knowledge and understanding of health and social care practice and to address those aspects of nursing practice that are limited or absent in the core practice-base. For example, your practice environment might provide a Monday to Friday service, so your student will need a complementary experience in an area that provides a seven day service. Or perhaps your service is one that functions during the day, but not at night. Your student needs to gain insight into the patients’ and clients’ experience of healthcare during the night.

The number of complementary practice experiences that your student has will be arranged to ensure that all the Nursing and Midwifery Council practice learning requirements (and EU requirements for adult nursing) are met. Again you will be advised about these by the Practice Tutor and/or the employer. 

Next section: Your student's supernumerary status