Q Exchange
Mentor newly registered nurses in their first 12 months of practice
- Proposal
- 2022
Meet the team
Also:
- Network of senior nurses will be formalised as project structures is developed
What is the challenge your project is going to address and how does it connect to the theme?
Covid has put unprecedented demands on NHS healthcare and its workforce and newly registered nurses often feel unsupported and the NHS risks losing the nursing workforce of its future. Indicative data reported by the Florence Nightingale Foundation in conjunction with the Nursing Times and UNISON to shine a light on Preceptorship – Florence Nightingale Foundation (florence-nightingale-foundation.org.uk, 4 February 2022) confirms a high percentage of registered nurses report that workplace pressures affect access to preceptorship compounded by a shortage of preceptors.
This project will enhance face to face support in clinical practice. Weavr, a private social digital platform will provide professional support. A search function will connect newly registered adult nurses in their first 12 months of clinical practice to a network of senior nurses who have extensive clinical experience from a wide range of acute and community multi-specialty adult settings. Enabling the sharing of different perspectives of nursing will providing mutual benefit and support.
What does your project aim to achieve?
This project will provide a platform for newly registered nurses within the first 12 months of clinical practice to reach out to a network of senior nurses for professional support outside of their workplace.
Supportive open and honest communication will help to provide professional guidance. In doing so, self-worth and confidence will improve, helping beneficiaries to explore options to develop clinical knowledge and experience in their current role and widen their thinking as they look towards career development options in the future.
This project will close the gap for newly registered nurses who due to pressure in the workplace, feel unsupported, with many seeking to leave their profession.
How will the project be delivered?
A website will define the aims of the group, and include a governing document.
‘NewlyQualifiedNurses – We’re Here For You’ has been registered as a CIO with the Charity Commission.
Beneficiaries will sign up as new members and agree to the rules (eligibility to become a member, how membership can be ended, how a membership would end if a beneficiary behaved in ways inconsistent with the rules and values of the group).
Members will be invited to access the link to Weavr, where a network of senior nurses with extensive and diverse clinical and managerial experience will be ready to give their support.
Set up and maintenance costs will be low, and the support network will be voluntary, with nil cost for membership.
Members will be asked for their feedback on the service provided by the network which will help to assess the quality of service provided, and shape future development.
How is your project going to share learning?
Data will be collected to include membership numbers and membership feedback regarding the quality of the service. Suggestions for future service development will be shared with Q members.
Weavr, the digital platform will enable the project to visualise how the structure of the group is developing and how well members are connecting with each other.
The traditional model of mentorship with mentor and mentee will be examined. Analysis of the project will help to understand whether using a digital platform has enabled the model of reverse mentorshiphttp://www.mindtools.com whereby the sharing of experiences and knowledge within the group irrespective of seniority has helped to empower and support its members and whether has encouraged professional friendships.
This project will have the potential to be replicated more widely and analysis of this information will be shared with Q members and the wider system across the UK and Ireland.
How you can contribute
- Highlight what is good and what might need further work
- Generate potential solutions and suggestions for further exploration
- Help to draw connections with other existing priorities, e.g. local or national
- Sharing technical expertise for best ways to promote project, if it is accepted by Q Community, on social media, i.e. twitter, and/or other social media platforms.
- If the project is accepted by the Q Community, offers from other Q members to collaborate with project either now, or in the longer term would be invaluable.
Plan timeline
| 14 Mar 2022 | Convert idea with suggested amendments for improvement week commencing 14/3/2022 |
|---|---|
| 20 Mar 2022 | Submit proposal and await decision |
Comments
Evelyn Prodger 21 Mar 2022
Hi Pam,
A community group would fit that model - I think this is such a needed project.
Good luck.
Evelyn
Pam Copeland 22 Mar 2022
Thank you Evelyn
Ronan McBride 9 Mar 2022
Pam, this soudns like an excellent initiative. I really hope you are successful with your application. This is definitely something i have senn first hand in critical care during COVID especiialy.
Mentoring and supporting new nurses is key to help us build and maintain a strong workforce, but doing this will be great for those new team members and their own happiness in work.
Have you considered Weavr as a networking option. Weavr was hosted as a potential networking tool some months back, here on the Q Community. It might be a great fit for what you want to achieve, and if I am right, quite cost effective.
It is definitely worth looking into. https://weavr.app/product/
You will find the video on the Q community site if you search the community for 'Kumu’s suite of network mapping/weaving tools – and how they may help your network of improvers'. I tried popping the link in but had no success.
Best of luck!
Pam Copeland 11 Mar 2022
Dear Ronan
Thank you for your support and for your suggestions. I haven’t heard of Weavr but I will consider this and explore the link you have mentioned and look for the video on Q.
With many thanks
Pam
Pam
Evelyn Prodger 6 Mar 2022
Hi Pam,
I love this idea and it is really needed.
Have you considered involving senior nurses from neighbouring organisations e.g. Mental Health, Hospice, Community so that new nurses gain a variety of perspectives?
Is this something that long term could move to a locality model rather than an orgainsational one?
Good luck!
Evelyn
Pam Copeland 6 Mar 2022
Hi Evelyn
Thank you so much for your interest in this idea and your suggestion is a great one. I will adapt my model to include senior nurse support from the disciplines you mention, of Mental health, Hospice, Community. Newly registered nurses will benefit greatly from this.
Could I ask you Evelyn please, whether the idea of setting up a Community Group rather than an organisational one in the long term, would meet the remit of a locality model?
With thanks
Kind Regards, Pam
Kevin Minier 3 Mar 2022
Hi Pam,
Has this project anything to learn from reverse mentoring programmes (BAME staff, Patients, Carers)? As a Family Carer I have provided reverse mentoring to senior manager in health and social care including supporting a now CEO of a Mental Health Trust.
A new initiative by National Voices may be of interst:
https://www.nationalvoices.org.uk/our-work/Voicesforimprovement
NHS Peer Leaders in Personalised Care
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/peer-leadership-foundation-step-1
Kindest regards,
Kevin Minier
Pam Copeland 4 Mar 2022
Hi Kevin
Thank you so much for your suggestions which are new to me, and I will certainly look into them all.
Kind Regards
Pam
Thomas John Rose 3 Mar 2022
Have you considered finding an existing website to host details of your platform and registration details? This will save the expense of setting up a new website,
Pam Copeland 4 Mar 2022
Hi Tom
That's a very good idea, and yes, would save me a lot of time and expense. Thank you for this suggestion, and I will explore this.
Kind Regards
Pam
Jo Scott 3 Mar 2022
Hi Pam
It may be worth reaching out to Q member Clare Cable - the Queen's Nursing Institute in Scotland that she runs did some fantastic work during the covid pandemic to make use of digital tools to support the wellbeing of community nurses https://q.health.org.uk/community/directory/clarecable/
There are a couple of Q Exchange funded projects from last year that may provide useful learning:
Best of luck developing your idea!
Jo
Pam Copeland 4 Mar 2022
Hi Jo
Thank you so much for all this information and your suggestions which will help me a great deal as I develop my idea. I will contact Clare and also read through the Q Exchange projects you have mentioned. It will help me explore all sorts of avenues.
Kind Regards
Pam
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