Christine Rhodes

User involvement in health and social care education: A concept analysis

This paper presents an evaluative discussion of the literature, and findings from a concept analysis which explores user involvement in the context of health and social care higher education in the United Kingdom. User involvement is increasingly a requirement in higher education and the purpose of the concept analysis was to clarify and elucidate the meaning and nature of the concept. Walker and Avants (2005) eight step framework for concept analysis was used to provide understanding of the underlying attributes and a model for critique and meaningful evaluation and research. A structured search and discussion of contemporary literature was undertaken. A model case is identified along with antecedents, critical attributes and consequences. The complexities of involvement are delineated with a recommendation for robust research that explores the benefits of involvement.

Service user and carer involvement in student nurse selection: Key stakeholder perspectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate an innovation where service users and carers were involved in the recruitment of child and adult nursing students. Seventy candidates, four service users and carers and six academics who had been involved in the selection process took part in the study. A short questionnaire was administered to the nursing candidates. Two semi structured group interviews were undertaken, one with the service users and carers and another with the academics. Findings reveal that the involvement of service users and carers in student recruitment was largely viewed positively with all three major stakeholders supporting it. Nevertheless the academics were also mindful of the difficulties that may be encountered in the process. The key message to emerge from this study is that service user and carer involvement in student selection is not without its challenges but with careful planning can be beneficial for all involved.

The Power of Stories: Using Narrative for Interdisciplinary Learning in Health and Social Care

This paper discusses the aims, process and outcomes of an interdisciplinary workshop day held for undergraduate students from Social Work, Mental Health Nursing, Adult Nursing, Midwifery and Occupational Therapy courses. The days activities focused on mental health and were based on the use of service user narrative within three different workshops. The feedback from the students showed that the day was relevant to the curriculum that they were engaged in; allowed them to interact with and explore the perspectives of different professional groups; assisted them in understanding the lived experience of mental health difficulties; offered them the opportunity to consider implications for practice; was enjoyable and added ‘value’.

Service users and carers: preparing to be involved in work‐based practice assessment

This paper will provide an overview of the specific issues related to involving service users and carers in work‐based practice assessment of health and social care students. The outcomes of a shared workshop that involved service users and carers, practice assessors and students in the development of an interprofessional assessment tool, will be discussed. Key areas of concern, across all participants, were related to ethical, reliability and validity issues. These will be explored against the background of current literature, and recommendations will be made for involving service users and carers in assessment of practice. The original work for this paper was part of the Assessment and Learning in Practice Settings (ALPS) Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), which is working towards a framework of interprofessional assessment of common competences in the health and social care professions.

What matters to users of services? An explorative study to promote shared decision making in health care.

Background  Involving service users and carers in decisions about their health care is a key feature of health‐care practice. Professional health and social care students need to develop skills and attributes to best enable this to happen.

Service user involvement in pre-registration children’s nursing education: the impact and influence on practice: a case study on the student perspective

This article reports on a study that aimed to conduct an in-depth investigation into the impact of user involvement on student learning and subsequent influence on practice as a qualified nurse. This was undertaken through a single case study that followed a narrative inquiry approach. UK policy has recommended user involvement in healthcare education for a number of years; this has in turn increased requirements for involvement from Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2010) now requires program providers to clearly demonstrate how service users and carers contribute to program design, delivery and assessment. Although the literature base is expanding there remains limited evidence of the impact of involvement on student learning and improved outcomes for patients. Narratives were collected from a children’s nursing student on completion of her 3-year nurse education program and again after practicing as a qualified children’s nurse for 1 year. Taking part in the research enabled the participant to consider and reflect on her experience of user involvement in her education and training. Analysis followed an interpretive approach utilizing “The Listening Guide” (Doucet & Mauthner 2008) with the researcher’s interpretation of how the experience was conveyed with clear acknowledgement of reflexivity.The findings identified central themes of authenticity, knowledge of self, resilience and coping, professional relationships, personalization of care, and influence on practice. This demonstrates transformative learning and support to practice, with preparation for situations and ideas on how to respond with empathy and compassion. This article contributes to the emerging evidence base specifically from a children’s nursing perspective, an area with a dearth of published material. Further research with a range of students is required to explore the lasting impact on practice.

Team based learning in nursing and midwifery higher education; a systematic review of the evidence for change

REVIEW AIM The aim of this study is to review the evidence in relation to the experiences and outcomes of students on nursing and/or midwifery higher education programmes, who experience team based learning. REVIEW OBJECTIVES To examine the relationship between team based learning and attainment for nursing and midwifery students in professional higher education. To examine the relationship between team based learning and student satisfaction for nurses and midwifery students in higher education. To identify and report examples of good practice in the implementation of team based learning in Nursing and Midwifery higher education. DESIGN A systematic Review of the literature was undertaken. The population were nurses and midwives studying on higher education pre and post registration professional programmes. The intervention was learning and teaching activities based on a team-based learning approach. Data sources included CINAHL and MEDLINE. ERIC and Index to Theses were also searched. REVIEW METHODS International research papers published in English between 2011 and 2017 that met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Papers that met the criteria were subjected to quality appraisal and agreement amongst authors for inclusion in the review. RESULTS A total of sixteen papers were reviewed and four themes emerged for discussion. These were Student Engagement, Student Satisfaction, Attainment and Practice Development and Transformational Teaching and Learning. CONCLUSIONS There is a tentative, though growing body of evidence to support TBL as a strategy that can impact on student engagement, student satisfaction, attainment, practice development and transformative teaching and learning. The literature indicates that implementing TBL within the curriculum is not without challenge and requires a sustained and structured approach. Staff and students need to understand the processes involved, and why they should be adhered to, in the pursuit of enhanced student experiences and outcomes for nurses and midwives in Higher Education.