Expanding student nurse placement activity in Welsh care homes: An evaluation study

Abstract

AimExpanding and sustaining student nurse placements outside of the acute sector is a universal challenge. This paper aims to evaluate the Care Home Education Facilitator Role introduced in one area of Wales, United Kingdom, and to report on the outcomes achieved from this novel role.MethodsSemi‐structured interviews were undertaken with key stakeholders including the Care Home Education Facilitator postholder leading the pilot, care home managers, higher education institutions' placement managers/coordinators, student nurses and national health service staff.ResultsFive key areas were identified, which included timing of introducing the post and establishing a clear rationale and understanding of the intention of the role. The benefits, challenges and suggested improvements to the Care Home Education Facilitator initiative are provided.ConclusionIntroducing the role of the Care Home Education Facilitator to work closely with key stakeholders resulted in increased placements for student nurses, but investing time in developing relationships with these stakeholders was critical to the success of the role.

What unites us?

“…The integration of care is discussed in an article that addresses fatigue, sleep and physical activity (Zhao et al, 2024) which aligns with the framework's care recipient physical and psychosocial needs, as well as an article addressing psychosocial care recipient needs such as their educational needs (Diriba et al, 2024). The system level of the care context is addressed in an article discussing the evaluation of student nurse placements (Williams et al, 2024), while the policy level of the context of care is addressed in an article describing clinical practice guidelines for patients experiencing lymphoedema (Tan et al, 2022).…”