NMC Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment (2018)

Roles and responsibilities – what that means for practice

The standards comprise three parts and identifies three distinct roles involved in supervision and assessment. Refer to Once for Wales, Practice Supervisor and Practice Assessor Guide (2019).

Effective Practice learning

  • A Nominated Lead person in each clinical placement, who is responsible for the organisation and quality of the practice learning environment. Oversees the student learning experience. Acting as a support for students and to whom concerns would be raised. They allocate students to appropriately experienced and prepared Supervisors and Assessors.
  • A range of safe practice learning opportunities, skills and relevant people are available to ensure proficiencies can be achieved. Mapping of the proficiencies would be conducted through educational audit.
  • Students are supernumerary, their individual needs and the required level of supervision assessed.

Supervision of students

  • Practice supervisor who is a registered nurse or health professional who is suitably prepared and has experience in the field of practice who assures continuity of learning.
  • Identifies learning needs with the student, identifying and planning learning experiences, sharing these with the assessor. Allocating student to other supervisors.
  • Acts as a role model and facilitates student learning. Selecting and using appropriate facilitation and coaching skills to empower students, encourage participation and independent learning.
  • Supervise, support and provide constructive verbal and written feedback to student and
  • Raise and respond to competency concerns following guidance and reporting to Practice Assessor, and Academic Assessor.
  • Contributes to the assessment decisions made by assessors

Assessment of students and confirmation of proficiency

  • Practice Assessor who is a registered nurse on the same part of the register as the student, who has experience in the field of practice and prepared for their role is assigned to the student for a placement.
  • Conducts assessments through direct observation, feedback from multiple sources, supervisors, patients and evidence in the practice assessment document.
  • Collates evidence, makes assessment on achievement, professionalism, proficiency, to confirm achievement of practice learning outcomes.
  • Responds to concerns about professional conduct or proficiency, informing the Academic Assessor and following the action planning protocol or escalation of concerns policy.
  • Communicates at prescribed intervals with student’s Academic Assessor. Ultimately communicates and collaborates with academic Assessor to agree student progression or fail, referring student to Examination Board.
  • Academic Assessor, AEI appointed staff for one part of the programme. They are registered on the same part of the NMC register as the student. Collates and confirm student achievement of academic learning outcomes
  • Makes and records decisions on achievement, proficiency and conduct based on multiple sources
  • Communicates and collaborates with practice assessor to agree student progression