Practice learning facilitators as roaming assessors.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Workforce Management

Background:

• Increased clinical demands, staff shortages, and rising student numbers have intensified supervision and assessment needs for student nurses, nursing associates, and midwives in the UK.
• The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these pressures on clinical placements.
• The Nursing and Midwifery Council's Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment have differentiated the roles of practice supervisor and practice assessor.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the implementation and effectiveness of practice learning facilitators acting as roaming assessors for student nurses in the UK.
• To evaluate the potential benefits and limitations of the roaming assessor model in healthcare education.

Main Methods:

• This article examines the utilization of practice learning facilitators in the role of roaming assessors.
• It analyzes the impact of this innovative approach on the assessment process for student nurses.

Main Results:

• The roaming assessor model, utilizing practice learning facilitators, offers a potential solution to the challenges in student nurse supervision and assessment.
• This approach may increase the reliability and availability of practice-based assessments.
• The role of roaming assessors could potentially be expanded to other health professions.

Conclusions:

• The roaming assessor role, exemplified by practice learning facilitators, presents a viable strategy to address the growing demands for student nurse assessments.
• This model shows promise for improving the quality and accessibility of practice-based training in nursing and potentially other healthcare fields.