An alternative placement model for nursing students: discovering new horizons

This article explores the use of an alternative placement model in conjunction with the Nursing and Midwifery Council standards for education and training. Traditionally in nurse education, students were supported on placement on a one-to-one basis by a qualified nurse mentor. This could be a very intense relationship and could limit placement learning as students were only allocated to areas that have a qualified nurse mentor, exacerbating competing demands on placement capacity to support students. A higher education institute trialled an alternative placement model that used several healthcare-related services traditionally not used for nursing placements. Some of these placements were allocated by the higher education institute, but students were also responsible for securing a number of placements for themselves. The students were supported with their learning by appropriate healthcare staff in practice but were assessed by academic members of staff at the higher education institute acting as practice assessors. The project was evaluated positively overall by the vast majority of students and staff. Students found it to be an empowering experience, which encouraged autonomous practice.