How are you finding NPL?

Re: How are you finding NPL?

ginny — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:33:47 GMT

I'm a CC with a transitional student and I too am being a pain.

But its my neck if I say she's competent and she's not - it is possible to do something day in day out and not be 100% sure how and why and not cover all the steps. Could be a problem if that task also turns out to be an OSCE. We didn't get her log in til Feb/March so she isn't going to be able to sit her practicals til Spring as we won't have completed in time for Winter. Although there are many things I know she can do and will sign off with prior knowledge/experience I still prefer to be sure. I would never deny competency for anyone but I won't sign off til I'm sure that they are. I put a note in add comment so we can log more practice - no idea though if thats the done thing. I opened up lots initially and signed off stuff she could def do and i had previously seen her do but was told to open up and wait for competentcy claims first.

I think the NPL likely to be easier with beginners now - transitional students don't quite fit it.

Re: How are you finding NPL?

xxhappysvn88xx — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:10:24 GMT

Re: How are you finding NPL?

xhappysvn21x — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 23:45:33 GMT

Re: How are you finding NPL?

lorraine wiggins — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:52:55 GMT

personally i do miss the portfolio i had just got my head around it and then they changed it. dont get me wrong i like the idea of the NPL, but as ive been nursing a few years find it very anoying with the whole demonstrate to and back. my CC is also being a pain as i claim compitence she wont sign it off (even tho ive used the refractometer for years) until she sees me use it one last time.

i also hate the fact we have to do stupid assignments i ave not written one for 7yrs! and also as being a tranisional student could ave been qualified by next year cant take my practicles till next june! why they couldnt just leave us NVQs to finish then start the diploma!

sorry about the rant but im really worried abt this year what with assignments due in october and theroies in nov!!

Re: How are you finding NPL?

ginny — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:57:10 GMT

I too opened a lot and declared my transitional student competent - only to be told that i have to wait for the student to declare themself competent first!

Re: How are you finding NPL?

Juliet Drummond DAVN (med) RVN D32/33 — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:06:37 GMT

oops sorry about the typos lol

Re: How are you finding NPL?

Juliet Drummond DAVN (med) RVN D32/33 — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:05:26 GMT

i currently have an experience student nurse, who has spent many years in theatre, i was satisfied that her experience (and my day to day experience of her working) made her competant at theatre tasks.

on th NPL i opened the task and immediately declared her competant. i wrote a shore reflective account of how i came to this decsision.

likewise i have a new student who starts college in spetember, she is competant at cleaning kennels and consulting rooms, so i will be happy to sign these of straight away, so that her current time training in practice is valuable for the NPL.

i hope this answers your question?

Re: How are you finding NPL?

shelly jefferies — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 09:28:08 GMT

[quote user="Juliet Drummond DAVN (med) RVN D32/33"]

don't forget APL (accredited prior learning) if you have been in practice a while and your coach is happy that you are competent at a task , they can sign it straight off for you, i usually put a note as to why i feel the student is competant.

[/quote]

How do you APL something on a students NPL, do you activate demonstration, and then competance and just write APL in comments part?

Re: How are you finding NPL?

Juliet Drummond DAVN (med) RVN D32/33 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 23:51:24 GMT

please don't get me wrong, i'm not aportioning blame on anyone.

the new course is hard on students and coaches, until everyone gets their heads around it.

if you are having trouble with your coach, the VNAC should pick up on the lack of progress, our's wants 15% approximately of NPL done each month. also speak to the practice principal, the practice have an obligation to provide the necessary training, as a training practice.

the point i'm trying make is that you don't have to just rely on the coach (yes they need to open items to log, this is not a long procedure)

other members of staff can demonstrate to you, keep a notebook of dates, cases and what you have been shown and by who, the you can inform your coach, who should be able to open the item, if they are happy with what you have been shown.

keep reminding your coach that you have asked for competence, it is easy to forget about an online log, the portfolio was harder to forget about lol.

there is a news article in this months vn times stating that the RCVS have vowed to improve clinical coach training, and that the half or one day training sessions are inadequate, particularily for inexperienced A1 assessors or those who have never assessed before.

i do hope things improve, and that students feel happier about their training. i just hope that there are no more major changes to vn training for the forseeable future.

Re: How are you finding NPL?

PHA86 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:43:40 GMT

My practical training didn't get off to a good start. I'm definitely not placing the blame with anyone in particular, but there were sequence of events which made it difficult. I had one task demonstrated and signed off to me within the first few months (once we'd received our log-ins). I then had to switch to a new clinical coach who had lots of paperwork to complete which slowed the process down, and who didn't attend any of the original meetings. I felt reliant because in the main it's down to the coach to get the ball rolling; how can a student complete the process if the tasks aren't being demonstrated to them in the first place? Having said that, things are much better now and now my exams are out of the way I can crack on over the summer. My main problem was with our trial and error approach, and the slow start because of this. At least people were familiar with the portfolio system and knew exactly what to expect!

Re: How are you finding NPL?

Sally Seddon — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:07:29 GMT

Just to add........Its not even a case of my cc not thinking im competant, she hasnt even acknowledged the fact ive claimed competancy :-(

Re: How are you finding NPL?

Sally Seddon — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:05:38 GMT

[quote user="PHA86"]

...Also, the student is much more reliant on the clinical coach this way, I feel. That's a problem too.

[/quote]

I actually do have a problem, my clinical coach has all the good intention in the world but just doesnt have/find time to do her bit. Ive claimed competancies on several things and have have them done for weeks but nothing has been done about them. Ive just sat my first exam and was told im supposed to have all of vn1-7 (vn 3 excluded as is ongoing over the 2 years) finished before my exam. My c.c hasnt even opened one of my tasks which i do on a daily basis anyway. I have tried talking to her before anyone suggests it

Re: How are you finding NPL?

Juliet Drummond DAVN (med) RVN D32/33 — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:09:11 GMT

[quote user="PHA86"]

...Also, the student is much more reliant on the clinical coach this way, I feel. That's a problem too.

[/quote]

why is that a problem??

personally having assessed students for nvq and coached for NPL the onus is more on the student with NPL than the portfolio. as coaches we can show a task and have the student demonstrate it, but it is then up to the student to log experiences regularly, (pref daily), so far experience of the NPL has shown me that students are not takiing control of their own learning objectives. with the portfolio the assessor had far more input to the process of evidence of skills.

in practice, students also learn form other members of staff other than their coach, it is unrealistic to assume the student and coach will work together at all times. students can have skills demonstrated to them by another RVN or an MRCVS, the student or other member of staff can inform the Coach for this to be opened on the NPL, the coach can state who demonstrated the task, and can liase with this individual to discuss what happened. theis procedure is similar to a witness statement for the NVQ.

i think it is important that students realise that the coach can only say you are competant if you actually are, and not because you feel you are. The VNACs perform quality assurance on this and if the student fails the task during this assurance then the Coach is aske dby the VNAC to deny competance. it is also worth remembering that as a coach you put your professional reputation on the line far more with the NPL than with the NVQ.

This is a new process, and i actually think it has been shoved out to us, but the RCVS did not have a choice with the abolition of the NVQ. As PP have said i'm sure next year everyone will be more up to speed with matters. The students i feel have suffered the most in this process ar the transitional (limbo) students, i firmly believe they should have been allowed to complete the level 3 NVQ.

Re: How are you finding NPL?

PHA86 — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:17:05 GMT

...Also, the student is much more reliant on the clinical coach this way, I feel. That's a problem too.

Re: How are you finding NPL?

PHA86 — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:14:55 GMT

I'm starting to get the swing of it a bit more now. I think the portfolio would have suited my learning style better, I like being wordy, waffling on about a subject. However, I can definitely appreciate it's less time consuming and hassle free. I'm just not keen that we're the first ones, it seemed to be very slow getting started, I think next year's students will be in much better stead.