Practice learning in the core practice-base

Students will spend a significant amount of time learning in their core practice-base. This is usually the place in which they are employed as health care workers (e.g. acute ward, rehabilitation ward, out-patient department, community mental health team, intermediate care team). Typically the core practice-base can offer students the range of learning required to enable them to achieve the NMC skills and competencies for each stage of the programme.

To determine whether the required learning opportunities are available to the student, a practice learning profile will be completed by The Open University. The practice learning profile template identifies the types of learning experiences that are required, as stipulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Once completed, it indicates the opportunities that are available in the core practice-base and those that are limited or absent. Examples of Practice Profiles can be viewed here:

Adult nursing practice profile (pdf)
Mental health nursing practice profile (pdf)

Although the practice learning profile for your student’s core practice-base may show that a range of opportunities is available, it is still important to ensure that your student can broaden their understanding of the care provision available to service users by experiencing a variety of different services. Students are therefore required to gain experience in both community and in-patient settings across a range of services. You should therefore encourage your student to follow different care pathways relating to the practice area and, where possible, to plan these learning experiences so that they align with the focus of the particular practice learning period.

Access the Practice Learning Pathway that your student will be following by clicking here

• Community mental health services (pdf)
• Mental health inpatient services (pdf)
• Adult community services (pdf)
• Adult inpatient services (pdf)

Activity: Developing Practice Learning Pathways

Referring back to the Practice Learning Pathway your student will be following review the focus of each of the practice learning periods in stage one of the programme. Now select one of the practice learning periods and try to identify possible care pathways that your student might follow that will support their learning about the focus of the practice learning period.

If you have time, you could discuss your ideas with other team members, as they might have alternative suggestions to offer.

Using the care pathways approach to supporting students’ learning, ensures that they are enabled to see health and social care delivery through the eyes of the service user, carer and practitioners involved across the person’s healthcare experience.

Examples of Adult (pdf) and Mental health (pdf) service usercare pathways can be accessed by clicking the links.

Next section: Complementary practice learning experiences