Nursing practice leading education. Can it work? A report

This report describes a change in the method of preparing student Nurses for their clinical placements.

A desire to address the 'ideal theory' - 'reality practice' gap, and to develop more effective learning, led to the development of a new approach.

In essence this approach used the clinical areas as the foundation providing realistic situations for students and tutors to study fulfilling the plea of Draper (1991) for the generation of new theory based on the here and now.

The involvement with the patients and the work environment provided situations where cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills were developed through reflective practice. Schon (1987) describes this as reflection in action.

The responses of the students to this new method were varied, some pleading never to do it again whilst others stated they "had never learned so much".

On balance the benefits seemed to outweigh the deficits and with continuous modification the scheme is continuing to grow in approval and is spreading to more areas of the curriculum.