Simulation placements and self-directed learning

Information for students in the School of Nursing and Midwifery

Nursing students practicing their plastering skills

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) permits up to 600 of the total 2,300 practice hours required for preregistration nursing programmes to be achieved through simulated practice learning.

There are 3 types of simulated practice learning opportunities:

Assessed Simulated Practice Placement (ASPP)
Simulation Practice Placement (SPP)
Self-Directed Practice Learning (SDPL)

Only students allocated to an ASPP or SPP may exceed 300 hours in total across the programme. These students will have different caps set, depending on which placement/s they have been allocated. Self-directed Practice Learning Hours will never exceed 300 hours for any student and may be less.

Assessed Simulated Practice Placement (ASPP)

The aim of the ASPP is to provide an assessed placement comprising practice-focused learning experiences, with the intention of exposing students to aspects of nursing they may not have considered, enabling them to gain cross-field and service user-informed experience and develop their practical nursing skills. The ASPP is a Plymouth-based placement so all face-to face teaching and external training/visits will be in Plymouth.

The ASPP comprises nine weeks of blended-delivery learning activities, including: face-to-face sessions both in the skills facilities and classroom (3-4 days attendance per week), online taught content, structured self-directed learning and externally provided training. There are innovative and diverse learning opportunities including interprofessional-learning and international collaboration.

Who can apply for the ASPP?

ASPP is open to a maximum of 40 full-time Year 1 and 2 Adult and Mental Health BSc (Hons) nursing students in the summer placement. Expressions of interest are invited via a survey.

Important - In order to be eligible to apply for ASPP:

All year 1 students must have completed the Episode of Care and Medicines Management assessment in Placement 1.
Year 2 students must have completed both Episodes of Care and Medicines Management in placement 3.
Approval of suitability from personal tutor/ academic assessor is required.

How are hours logged for ASPP?

The ASPP is set up as a placement on POW so students can log timesheets and be assessed using the ePAD in the usual way.

How is the ASPP assessed?

Students will have a nominated Practice Assessor who will assess progress against the NMC Professional Standards. There will also be opportunities for Practice Supervisors to sign off proficiencies, which will be mapped against the relevant sessions. Initial, Midpoint and Final Interviews (with assessment of Professional Values) will be undertaken in the same way by your designated Practice Assessor as a ‘traditional’ clinical placement. Timesheets will be approved by Practice Supervisors or your Practice Assessor.

For more information about the ASPP please contact Suzi Robinson, Clinical Skills and Practice Simulation Lead.

Overall, this placement has been fantastic and such a mixture of learning opportunities and skills. I feel so much more confident in my skills, which I will take with me onto my next placements. I am grateful for the opportunity, as it has been a pilot placement for the university. I would recommend this placement to my peers, as it has been so beneficial to my learning.

I have really enjoyed this different type of placement, and I am glad I was given the opportunity to complete it. I feel that I have learned so much and I have developed my confidence and communication skills. I have really enjoyed working within our small groups and getting to know my peers.

During the start of this placement I was quite sceptical about how it would turn out as we were not enrolled in a clinical environment. But as days progressed, I began to thoroughly enjoy and learn quite a lot about various topics in depth. Having lectures provided by specialists in those fields provided with strong knowledge and evidence-based practice methods. Having set-up scenarios also provided with the scope to make mistakes and learn from them.

It’s been very informative I feel I have learnt more than I would … in a normal placement, highly suggest that all nursing students should have this as a placement.

Suturing and plastering skills

Visit to the Dive Diseases Research Centre (DDRC Plymouth)

Midwifery and neonatal care

Interprofessional Learning with physiotherapy students

Team building and leadership skills

Practicing plastering skills

Simulation Practice Placement (SPP)

A 5-week non-assessed Simulation Practice Placement (SPP) will be allocated to all first year full-time BSc and MNurs students during the Summer Practice Learning Period who have not undertaken the ASPP to enable you to also benefit from the extended learning opportunities available via this form of practice learning. This allocation is shown on the colour programme illustration on the Nursing programmes DLE. You must attend this placement; you are not permitted to remain in a previous clinical placement.

How is the SPP delivered?

A blended approach will be taken, as in the ASPP, with a mixture of clinical skills and online activities delivered by faculty staff and the Health Academy, who will provide designated practice supervisors for each student. The face-to-face element in the skills facilities will be available across all three campuses during the first 2 weeks. The final 3 weeks will be delivered virtually.

How are hours logged for SPP?

The SPP is set up as a placement on POW so students can log timesheets and in the usual way. All practice hours will be checked and authorised by the Health Academy through attendance registers and evidence of learning.

Is the SPP assessed?

Although not formally assessed, your practice supervisor/s will provide evidence of your progress and professional engagement; this document must be uploaded to the ‘File Store’ section of your ePAD. Proficiencies may also be able to be signed off by practice supervisors.

For more information about the SPP please contact Suzi Robinson, Clinical Skills and Practice Simulation Lead.

Self-Directed Practice Learning (SDPL)

All nursing students on full-time BSc and MNurs programmes may additionally undertake a range of approved Self-directed Practice Learning activities up to 300 hours maximum across the programme. The combined total of all simulated practice learning must not exceed 600 hours of the total 2,300 practice hours required by the NMC for pre-registration nursing programmes. Nursing students on part-time, apprenticeship or MSc programmes are eligible for a total of 300 simulation hours across the programme.

Please see the Nursing programmes DLE (Practice Learning Tile/Simulated Practice learning) for all information relating to undertaking, recording and having approved any Self-directed Practice Learning (SDPL) Hours you may choose to do. Please note that these are optional; the hours allocated to you in your placements meet minimum NMC requirements provided you attend them all!

Please read the ‘Guidance: Self-directed Practice Learning Hours’ carefully. You may also find it helpful to watch this video: Self-directed Practice Learning Hours - staff and students.

What are examples of the approved opportunities?

Inter-professional learning, peer teaching, structured practice-related e-learning, extra-curricular activities and internships.

More information is available on the ‘Guidance: Self-directed Practice Learning Hours’ document on the Nursing programmes DLE.

How do I claim my self-directed hours?

You MUST record your reflection on your learning as evidence PRIOR to entering your hours on POW. You must also map your learning to the NMC (2023) Standards of proficiency for registered nurses and NMC (2023) Code.

You must either use the spreadsheet 'Evidence of self-directed practice learning' or the Word version to record your activity and learning; both require the same information and must be uploaded to the File Store on ePAD to enable your personal tutor to approve the hours claimed, in the role of Practice Supervisor.
Ideally wait until you have a batch of activities before uploading the evidence to your FileStore and recording the hours on POW; your personal tutors do not have the time to deal with each request individually and will NOT approve hours unless the evidence is available.

Any queries about your hours, please contact powsupport@plymouth.ac.uk