Learning in Practice

Learning does not take place simply because a student works with a mentor. The environment has to be conducive to learning and students need to feel welcome and comfortable, and part of the team. Students also need to feel involved, valuable and secure in order for meaningful learning exchanges to take place. There are many ways to create a supportive environment and to ensure that the needs of every individual are met. Mentors have a responsibility to contribute to the ongoing evaluation of the learning environment and the student experience.

In order to maintain the quality of this environment you will have a member of the Academic staff to support you and will find their details here. Placements are well supported, effective for ensuring competence in practice, and for promoting the integration of theory with practice. Find out here about the role of the Placement Educational Lead (PEL) and what it takes to assume that role. Take time to look through the minutes of the monthly PEL. meetings and discover the topics discussed. Hopefully you will at some point feed in to this meeting to share good practice from your own environment.

Learn about the WORLD model and how it helps you cope with the ever increasing numbers of healthcare students. Here you can find a list of available learning packs and download them to use for any of your students. Should you wish to contribute a learning pack then look at the guidelines to help you do this successfully. Think about how effective your placement learning opportunities are and discover new approaches from others to improve your area. There are other support roles working across the Trust and there are ways they may be able to help you once you understand their roles.