How to develop nursing student practice placement opportunities in care homes

Historically, care homes have been underused as practice placement settings for preregistration nursing students. However, care homes can provide valuable learning opportunities for students, while hosting students can be beneficial for staff and residents. There has been a move by NHS England to expand placements to non-traditional settings such as care homes. To support this expansion, Skills for Care has published a strategy which aims to ensure high-quality placements in social care settings for nursing students. This article provides nurses working in care homes and care home managers with a step-by-step guide to developing placement opportunities in their care home. • For the care home, preparing to become a placement provider involves collaborating with the local approved education institution and working with staff to create an optimal learning environment for students. • For students, the benefits of placements in care homes include learning in a multiprofessional environment and developing an awareness of older people's holistic needs. • Hosting nursing students can energise the care home workforce, while interacting with students can make residents feel valued and engaged. REFLECTIVE ACTIVITY: 'How to' articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of: • How this article might enhance how you develop nursing student practice placement opportunities in your care home. • How you could use this information to support your care team to provide an optimal learning environment for nursing students during practice placements in your care home.