Practice learning teams: a partnership approach to supporting students' clinical learning

The importance of clinical learning for students has been acknowledged by both government and nursing regulatory bodies who have called for partnerships and collaborative structures to be developed to facilitate the provision of good quality structured support for all learners in practice placements [Department of Health DOH, Making a Difference: Strengthening the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Contribution to Health and Health Care, Department of Health, London, 1999; ; United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting; UKCC, Fitness for Practice: The UKCC Commission for Nursing and Midwifery Education, 1999; United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. London; ; ENB/DoH, Placements in Focus. English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, London, (2001b)]. This paper reports the early experiences of developing and implementing one such collaborative approach in one School of Nursing in England. The approach presented is that of practice learning teams (PLTs). The driving forces behind the decision to implement these teams and why the change was thought to be necessary when another approach, namely the link lecturer role was already in existence are considered. The challenges encountered during the implementation process and the perceived benefits that are emerging are discussed.