Reflecting on the development of a band 5 nurse coordinators’ competency pathway in a children’s hospital
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Reflecting on the development of a band 5 nurse coordinators’ competency pathway in a children’s hospital

Clair Scaife Nurse lead for transformation, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To recognise that band 5 nurses are expected to take charge of clinical shifts on wards when necessary

  • To be aware of a coordinators’ competency pathway designed to support band 5 children’s nurses to take charge of clinical shifts on wards

  • To learn about a service evaluation which found that the coordinators’ competency pathway was delivered well and the training effective

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.

Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2022.e1408

Peer review

This article has been subject to open peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@ClairScaife

Correspondence

clair.scaife1@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Scaife C (2022) Reflecting on the development of a band 5 nurse coordinators’ competency pathway in a children’s hospital. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2022.e1408

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the following people for their support: Kate Nettleship, senior library assistant, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust; Sarah Massey, knowledge and library services manager, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust; Keith Bradbury, audit facilitator, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust; Liz Mills, senior university teacher, University of Sheffield; all band 5 nurses who have undertaken the coordinators’ competency pathway

Published online: 04 April 2022

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