Practice Educator page NEW

There are 2 different options for Practice Educator (Mentorship) courses- All are suitable for NQP portfolio & general mentorship

Option 1 – Non-accredited e-learning

SWASFT non-accredited Practice Educator course (Created by SWASFT – endorsed by the CoP)

SWASFT have created a new, non-accredited Practice Educator course. Hosted on ESR, the course will work through a College of Paramedics (CoP) aligned syllabus, with an embedded knowledge check before completion. As it is on ESR, you will easily be able to prove completion of the course, and the embedded knowledge check means that no assignment or further assessment will be needed.

You can also access the Practice Educator Handbook, that is based on the course content, for reference if you want go back over sections after the course, or just to dip into before you start the course. Practice Educators, who have already qualified, are also welcome to use the facility as a resource for revision and help as needed, as it provides up to date information and resources to help with practice education in any area.

SWASFT PEd course – Handbook only
SWASFT online PEd – FULL course

Option 2 – Level 7 (MSc) e- learning module

An accredited module (30 Credits at MSc) in partnership with the University of Glos.

This course is essentially the same as the non-accredited but includes a 4000 word assignment element at MSc Level. Both are suitable for a SWASFT PEd or NQP portfolio. Places are limited on this course (30 spaces in July – 2023). Please book now to avoid disappointment.

SWASFT online PEd – ACCREDITED course

Practice Educator ‘How to’ videos

This YouTube Channel is produced and managed by the the University of Cumbria, but is open access to all PEds and has some really useful videos for all PEds.

Click here – YouTube Channel

Episodes on this channel

1. Mentor Mentee Relationship

2. Safeguarding the Student

3. Intro to DA 1

4. Academic Content Overview

5. Failing to Fail UoC Practice Educator Workshop

6. Assessing the learner using PebblePad portfolio

7. Equality, Diversity and Inclusive Mentoring

8. Assessing learners using the PebblePad

9. Back to Basics with the PebblePad

10. Supporting the underachieving learner and action planning

11. Supporting the learner in times of stress and trauma

12. How to deliver constructive feedback and how to manage students who do not accept it

New dates are now available for Practice Educator Update Days for qualified, active Practice Educators across the Trust that support our future Paramedic workforce.

*The days are also open to qualified Practice Educators who do not have a student, but are available and ready to be allocated one – see the payments & overtime section below for more details.

These days will be offered with an incentive payment and will all be delivered virtually.

This virtual update will consist of a 5 hour session via Zoom that will provide an update on the mentoring process, the professional aspects of mentoring, feedback and assessment, as well as providing a forum for discussion on any issues or concerns you have.

Practice Placements Coordinators will be on hand during the session to answer questions alongside the tutor.

The day attracts a £250 (pre-tax) incentive payment. (The OT payment has been removed and the incentive increased to simplify the process)

Please note that the course will include UNPAID breaks of approx. 1hr in total. Please allow 6 hrs for the day. 

Please see the ‘Payment’  section for more incentive information

SWASFT PEd course – Handbook only

It is vital that we invest in those who are committed to developing our students and who put in a huge amount of discretionary effort into the Practice Educator role; until now this would have gone unrecognised.

To support you we would like to share a new initiative. Practice Educators who are supporting a student paramedic, can request payment for that learner support. This process involves the Practice Educator completing a simple online form which is sent to the Practice Placement Education (PPE) team for approval. (Button below)

This is also an opportunity for a Practice Educator to request any additional support needed from both the PPE team or our partner universities.

Who are we & what do we do all day 

The role of the (PEF) Practice Education Facilitator is to be the point of contact for students, Practice Educators and HEI’s.

Along with all the duties listed in the team duties below, essentially they are the person you can go to in SWASFT when you feel like you need some help with a student or HEI issue. They can provide practical guidance, link you in with the right people and generally make life easier for you.

There will be at least 1 for each HEI, and when they are on leave or unavailable, one of the team will step in to provide cover for their area.

Who are we and most importantly what do we do all day 

The role of the Practice Education Facilitator within the Trust is an integral to the smooth management of the students from our partner Universities during their practice placements with us.

There are now 6 Practice Education Facilitators (PEFs) who work to support both the Practice Educators (PEds), (previously known as Mentors) and the Student Paramedics on placement within the Trust.

The PEFs are supported by the rest of the team 1 Practice Placement Coordinator (who keeps things them organised!) , 1 Team Leader, and 1 L&D manager.

In total SWASFT provides placements for over 680 undergraduate paramedic students at present, studying across 5 Universities – UWE, Gloucester, Plymouth and Bournemouth, University of Central Lancashire (MOD students).

We DON’T look after the apprentices (anymore!)- there is a whole Apprenticeship team for that!

Our aim is to support and develop both our Practice Educators and Students to help promote a sustainable workforce of the future, which in the long run benefits our service users.

Our remit includes-

• Supporting Practice Educators (PEs) during & outside of placement time
• Encouraging Paramedics to complete a mentorship course and attend the update days
• Delivering PE update days
• Supporting our students in preparation for placements – arranging manual handling days, meds/kit and vehicle familiarisation days, corporate induction days, and station inductions
• Providing a placement link between the Universities, their academic advisers (tutors), programme teams and their support services
• Supporting both PEs and students with all placement concerns
• Attending local operational meetings and University update meetings
• Arranging internal observer requests. Please note – We are not accepting external observer requests at present due to capacity.

However, this list is not exhaustive and each day throws up new challenges.

Students in Placement –General FAQs (For PE’s)

Q1 Do I have to be a practice educator for students?

Yes, as a paramedic, it is understood that as part of your job role you will mentor across a range of staff groups including HEI student paramedics, distance learning student paramedics, new ECAs and newly qualified paramedics.

More information on this is available via the paramedic ‘scope of practice’, found on the intranet (SWASFT device needed)

Scope of Practice – Paramedic & Scope of Practice – Newly Qualified Paramedic

 Section 1.1

Providing clinical supervision of the following staff groups when working with them (on a vehicle or an incident) Community First Responders, Observers, Emergency Care Assistants, Ambulance Practitioners/ Advanced Technicians, Student Paramedics and Newly Qualified Paramedics.

Q2 I’m unsure if I’m ready to be a practice educator, what can I do?

Becoming a practice educator is a big step in your paramedic career. You will be given time to consolidate your learning as a NQP and transition into a qualified paramedic before being asked to begin mentoring. Once the time comes, all paramedics will attend a mentoring course. Once this is complete will you be asked to mentor a university student as a named practice educator. If you continue to feel unsure of mentoring you can look to your OO and the practice placement team for further support and resources to help you feel more prepared, of which there are many to help ensure that you are kept up to date and feel confident in mentoring. These include regular PE update days, a practice education resources page and additional information, all of which can be found on this page and be talking with your Practice Education Facilitator.

Q3 Can I have more than 1 student at a time?

Yes, there are times when you may be required to have more than one student. You may be mentoring an ECA Apprentice paramedic as well as having a university student on placement with you as a 3rd person on the DCA. You may also find that you are allocated a university student but have another student placed on shift with you for ad hoc shifts whilst your student is not on placement with you.

Q4 I’m concerned about my student’s progress, what should I do?

Firstly, take the time to sit with your student and discuss your concerns. They may not realise that they are not achieving what they should be, they may give an explanation to what is stopping them from achieving their potential and highlight areas where they require further support. If you are unsure how best to proceed, there is lots of support out there.

Please seek guidance from your peers, Team Educators, L&D LPs, Education Leads, OO’s and most importantly your Practice Education Facilitator. (PEF)

During this discussion produce an action plan between the two of you to work towards. Ensure you also discuss worries with the students HEI and personal tutor and the PEF. If you continue to see areas of concern, discuss with your local PEF and university to gain further guidance and support, including potentially gaining support from the L&D team who may be able to review your student. This can be done by using the Practice Educator form – student support & reporting on this page.

It’s really important that concerns are raised as early as possible to give the student additional support where needed and the opportunity to improve and meet the standards required of them to successfully complete their placements. Please ensure all meetings and action plans are well documented throughout.

Q5 My student is changing practice educators, how can I help with continuity of their learning?

It’s important to complete a practice handover form for the student and pass on to the new practice educator.  This is now a simple form that will automatically send your handover to the new PED once completed. Use the Practice Educator form – student support & reporting on this page.

This will help the new practice educator to have an overview of the student and their current aims.

Q6 What can I report via the Practice Educator form – Student Support & reporting

The form allows you to do the following things and goes directly to the Practice Education Team and PEFs:

• L&D support referral for your student
• Practice advisory report (Positive feedback or concerns)
• Fitness to Practice concern
• Practice Educator handover report (Student moving to a new PEd)

It is worth reading the guidance here to understand how the information is used and acted on.

 Q6 I am not currently able to mentor due to personal reasons, what should I do?

In some circumstances, we understand that mentoring may not be appropriate. If you find yourself in this situation, please talk to your OO. They will complete a ‘temporary withdrawal from practice education’ form for you, which will get sent to the practice placement team. This will be updated for you and ROC will be informed, allowing you to temporarily have a break from mentoring.

This will then be reviewed by your OO team and discussed with the PEF on a monthly basis until you feel able to mentor again. You will be given support by your OO team with the aim to return to mentoring in the future. During the time that you are not mentoring you will be supported by your OO, practice placement team and staying well service where appropriate.

 

Click here for PDF download – Student learning during winter pressures / hospital delays

These links will download a PDF – they will not open a new page

• University students in placement with SWASFT Risk assessment V4

• SWASFT Practice Placement policy

• Placement and Employment Guidance for Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)

• SWASFT Mentorship strategey

Swastcpd.co.uk has a dedicated page for online learning resources from a whole host of organisations

Everything on this page should be free, & open access to all staff, nearly everything will be available to students as well. Some will need an open Athens account, and some will require registration.

We also have lots of face to face CPD courses & CPD events that students can attend- just look at the course or event details to see if it is open to students.