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chapter 01 introduction
On 29 November 2006 a conference took place, initiated by the Scottish Executive Health Department Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Directorate, to celebrate ten years of pre-registration nursing and midwifery education being delivered in Higher Education. Two hundred and fifty delegates made up of students, lecturers and NHSScotland staff, attended the conference the aim of which was:
- to highlight the many developments and innovations in nursing and midwifery education both in theory and clinical placements;
- to share information; and
- to celebrate the excellent partnerships which have developed over the last ten years between universities and the NHS.
The conference was planned to be much more creative and person-centred than the normal formal structure of such events. The first step involved inviting people to submit examples of educational issues they thought were worth sharing in Higher Education or the NHS. This report provides the abstracts and the contact details submitted by each of the conference presenters so that the good practice highlighted on the day can be shared more widely after the event.
The day began with a welcome from the Chief Nursing Officer and an explanation of how the day would work. Delegates then had the opportunity to review the programme and decide what they wanted to get out of the event. They did this by choosing to attend any of the 40 Insight Sessions which were 25-minute slots for sharing, in small discussion groups, personal experience of different aspects of nursing practice and education or the 25 Showcase Spots which provided 45 minutes of presentations and questions to find out in some detail about innovative projects and initiatives going on across the country.
These slots were staggered throughout the day, individual delegates made up their own timetable and then applied to attend each slot. As well as these sessions, delegates could also use opportunities to read written or poster material as well as have the opportunity to network with colleagues. Lunch was also staggered so that this could be fitted in to individual's programmes. Delegates then came together at the end of the day, introduced themselves to a delegate they hadn't met so that they could exchange an idea or something new they had learnt at the conference.
The organising team wanted delegates who all had a vested interest in nursing and midwifery education to experience a new way to share the key issues facing nursing and midwifery education. The topics considered throughout the day were wide ranging and included:
- student specific topics;
- education issues;
- student placements;
- clinical skills; and
- education and practice links.
The format of the conference enabled groups with different interests to come together in a way that had not been done before. The evaluation feedback indicates that 93% of the delegates considered the conference to be excellent or very good and highlighted, in particular, the efficiency of the arrangements for the day, the friendliness of those participating as well as the opportunities provided to learn and share experiences and best practice in an informal way.
The conference stands out because of the innovative approach that was taken to the planning of the day around a large number of individuals' own decisions so as to maximise their opportunities to learn, share and network with a wide range of contributors from a varied background. It helped to spread best practice and enabled delegates to learn about issues that they could take back to their own fields of practice. In addition, everyone involved in the conference was able to participate and contribute. We hope this conference report allows even more sharing of good practice and innovation between the various Higher Education Institutions involved in pre-registration nursing and midwifery education and NHS colleagues.
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