Supporting assistant practitioners during their training
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence & Practice    

Supporting assistant practitioners during their training

Kenneth Ripley Clinical education nurse, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, Lincolnshire, England
Bridget Hoad Nursing and midwifery workforce supply programme manager, Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Gervas House, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England

Assistant practitioners, also known as associate practitioners, provide support to the registered healthcare workforce, practising with advanced knowledge and skills. Assistant practitioners require substantial training to obtain the skills and knowledge required for the role. This article identifies the challenges trainee assistant practitioners may encounter, and makes recommendations for how they can be best supported. The core areas where trainee assistant practitioners require support from their colleagues and mentors are workload, role clarity, mentoring, academic challenge and recognition as learners.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2016.e10114

Correspondence

kenneth.ripley@ulh.nhs.uk

Peer review

All articles are subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Received: 01 May 2015

Accepted: 23 September 2015

Published online: 15 July 2016

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