Project Success Highlighted At Conference
30 September 2010
(back row from left): Lou Sherratt, Alison Hogg and Fiona Davies with student nurses.
Nursing academics have developed a 'traffic light' system to support students on their course. The system was presented at the 2010 Nurse Education Tomorrow conference on September 6 at the University of Cambridge.
Derby's 'traffic light' system consists of a self assessment and evaluation grid to be completed by students at the start of every academic year. It features a list of questions, shaped by the outcomes of the Derby research study, to assess if each student is in need of extra support.
The students then go on to complete an online evaluation tool, providing academic and support staff with rich data about what the students think about their course so it can be enhanced further.
Head of Nursing and Health Care Practice Alison Hogg; Senior Lecturer in Nursing, Fiona Davies and Nursing Lecturer Louise Sherratt are leading the 'traffic light' initiative at Derby and have drawn on their expertise as university admissions tutors with the study.
Fiona said: "The University places the student at the heart of its activities so anything which can be introduced to help enhance a student's experience at University is to be welcomed."
Last year, the programme was awarded an 'outstanding' grade by the professional regulatory body for nursing - the Nursing and Midwifery Council - for its new student nurse selection process. In addition the admissions team won an internal excellence award for their work on the selection of nurses.
Derby places great care on its selection process with three workshops held during the process to assess if student nurses meet not only the entry criteria but are able to demonstrate the skills and attributes to help them become a registered nurse. These workshops include activities to assess teamwork, empathy, innovation, problem solving and communication skills.
Louise said: "We place emphasis on searching for the sorts of qualities in applicants we think will help them succeed as a nurse. These include good teamwork, self awareness, an ability to problem solve and adaptability to different situations."
The nursing team are working with other University departments, including Student Support and Information Services, on the project and it is hoped other subject areas might be able to adapt the work to their areas in the future.
