Ungraded
Students wishing to progress to higher level study in nursing or health care professions need to be able to communicate effectively and work as part of a team; in doing so they need to reflect on their personal and professional practice. They also need to be able to identify and manage risks in preparation for their careers.
Understand the characteristics required to be a health professional, making reference to the relevant professional and regulatory bodies and the Professional Standards Authority standards for registration in relation to patient-centred care and concepts of professionalism as they apply to conduct, performance and ethics of those on the relevant professional and regulatory registers.
Understand the characteristics required to be a health professional.
Professional practice in healthcare: Students can learn about the characteristics of a healthcare professional - for example: education/training requirements; licence to practice; performance standards and professional regulation (e.g. General Medical Council (GMC)/HCPC/NMC standards); public trust; and the concept of patient-centred care and NHS values (e.g. best possible care for patients through working together for patients, respect and dignity, commitment to quality of care, compassion, improving lives and everyone counts).
Analyse the characteristics required to be a health professional with reference to:
a) professional values, behaviours and accountability
b) patient-centred care
c) concepts of professionalism as they apply to conduct, performance and ethics of those on the relevant professional and regulatory body's register.
Understand effective communication and teamworking skills.
Communication: Students can learn about effective and ineffective communication with reference to a model (e.g. transactional model); they should learn about the barriers to effective communication in a healthcare context (e.g. ambiguity/complexity of message, 'noise'); fields of experience of senders/receivers (e.g. differences between professionals and patients in use of language). Coverage should include different modes of communication - written, verbal and non-verbal.
Teamworking: Students need to learn about what constitutes a team and the benefits of effective teamworking in a healthcare context - for example: reduction in errors; improved patient care; greater job satisfaction; increased efficiency and better regulatory compliance; and shared skill sets. They can also learn about ways to improve teamworking - for example: improving communication skills; providing and accepting feedback; training; and role clarification.
Evaluating communication and teamworking skills: Students can learn about and utilise a model of reflective practice - for example, Gibbs to benchmark their communication and teamworking skills against role models in their area of practice and identify ways of improving their skills (see LO4).
Distinguish between effective and ineffective skills with reference to a relevant model for each of the following:
a) communication
b) teamwork.
Evaluate the effectiveness of own communication skills, with reference to:
a) verbal
b) non-verbal skills.
Evaluate own team working skills.
Know how to manage risk and deal effectively with problems.
Risk management: Students can learn about the principles and practice of risk management and different models. Students can also learn about the common features of problem-solving models - for example: identifying and analysing the problem and root cause(s); identifying solution options; selecting and implementing a solution; and evaluating results.
Problem-solving: Students could learn about rationalist and phenomenological approaches to problem-solving and when and how to use these models for different types of problem - for example, when a more flexible and dynamic approach to decision making is required, such as when dealing with an acutely ill patient, a phenomenological approach may be better suited. Students can look at actual or hypothetical problems/common risks in healthcare, consider their likely probability and impact, and how to mitigate these risks. Examples such as nosocomial infections/healthcare associated infections could be used to learn about the common features of problem solving models - for example: identifying and analysing the problem and root cause(s); identifying solution options; selecting and implementing a solution; and evaluating results.
Summarise the principles of risk management and problem solving.
Explain how to solve a problem and manage any associated risk, using an actual or hypothetical problem relevant to a healthcare setting.
Reflect on own personal and professional practice and develop a personal and professional development plan.
Self-assessment and CPD: Students need to cover the concept and importance of CPD; they can be introduced to tools for undertaking self-assessment/reflective.
Indicative content practice (e.g. for knowledge, skills and competencies, employability) and undertake exercises in using the tools.
PDP development: Students need to understand the features and steps - for example: identifying area(s) for development; specifying meaningful, achievable yet stretching development goals and objectives; identifying the types of activity to achieve objectives (linked to own learning-style preferences); justifying selection of activities.
Reflection on performance: Students can learn how to document achievement against the plan and setting revised objectives, time frames and further development activities as appropriate.
Evaluate their own personal and professional practice skills against those expected of a health professional, using a chosen model of reflective practice.
Identify own continuing personal and professional development (CPD) needs based on evaluations in 4.1.
Produce a plan to meet personal and professional development objectives based on an evaluation of different options.
Reflect on own performance against the plan, identifying learning needs for the future throughout the duration of the Access to HE Diploma.