Taking charge of a clinical shift on a ward or department is daunting for newly qualified nurses. To support band 5 nurses in this development a coordinators’ competency pathway was devised at a children’s hospital NHS trust in 2012. The pathway consists of a competency-based document, used to guide and assess nurses, and a simulation-based training day. Since it was devised, approximately 200 nurses at the trust have undertaken the pathway.

This article reflects on a service evaluation, which used a mixed-methods approach involving quantitative and qualitative data collection undertaken in three data sets over five years, to assess the effectiveness of the pathway and training. It is not possible within the space limitations of this article to present all the results, therefore the main themes from the data analysis are summarised. Overall, respondents felt supported and considered the pathway to be delivered well and the training effective. Most appraised simulation positively as a teaching and learning method. The pathway, which could be replicated anywhere, has been embedded in the trust.