Student nurses run hospital ward bays - a new approach to clinical practice training

Student nurses at University College Birmingham are among the first to pilot an innovative new approach to NHS clinical practice training at a Midlands hospital.  

Those on the University’s Nursing (Adult) BSc (Hons) degree will get hands-on, first-hand experience in running a ward and caring for patients at the new student-led clinical learning environment (SLCLE) at Solihull Hospital. 

A surgical ward has dramatically had to change the way it works to facilitate the new approach, with two of its bays now being run by students. 

Students from University College Birmingham, as well as students from the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University, will work with their peers to take responsibility for the assessing, planning and delivery of care to an identified group of patients. 

And at the SLCLE – consisting of a six-bedded bay and a five-bedded bay on the ward operating from Monday to Friday – students will be allocated a clinical educator and have protected learning time in which they have greater control of their education.  

Under the supervision of a registered practitioner, who will act as a coach, they will be able to steer their learning based on what they feel they need to improve. 

The idea is to provide students with a unique learning experience, enabling them to develop their confidence and leadership skills by learning together for a better sense of belonging and value. 

The aim is that they feel recognised and equipped for the transition into professional registration and choose to build their career at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).  

Facilities for future nurses

Being part of the SLCLE pilot is just one of the ways University College Birmingham is working towards producing the best trained nurses in the UK. 

For example, the University has invested £44 million as part of a wider £130 million investment into its nursing training facilities at its Moss House campus, giving students access to a cutting-edge Health Skills and Simulation Suite. 

This learning environment includes a purpose-built, six-bed hospital ward with simulation manikins and immersive learning through virtual reality technology.

Accredited by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), our adult nursing degree is led by expert clinical practitioners and developed to today’s gold standard in line with the NMC’s 'Future nurse: Standards of proficiency'. 

University College Birmingham offers a range of industry-led college and degree-level courses within our Department of Health.