New Model of Clinical Teaching for Student Nurses
Undergraduate nurses in Christchurch are set to benefit from a new model of teaching that combines all the best aspects
of clinical training with more consistent support and guidance.
On Thursday 16 August, Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB), in conjunction with Christchurch Polytechnic Institute
of Technology (CPIT), is launching a pilot programme that centres clinical learning around Dedicated Education Units
(DEUs).
“Previously we used the preceptorship model to train undergraduate nurses, which is where students are allocated a
‘preceptor’, or buddy, who they work with, one on one, for the entire five weeks of their placement,” CDHB Nurse
Educator Janine Hale said.
“However with all the demands of today’s clinical environment, it’s getting increasingly difficult to maintain
consistent support, especially since students tend to work Monday to Friday, whereas nursing is a 24 hour occupation.”
“We needed to balance the demands of the clinical environment with the need for students to have quality, ‘hands-on’
experience so in 2006 a project team with representatives from CDHB and CPIT was established to investigate alternative
models. We conducted a lot of research and consultation and, in the end, decided to pilot the DEU model,” Janine said.
The concept of DEUs was developed ten years ago at Flinders University in South Australia and it remains the
University’s preferred model to this day because it continues to meet the teaching and learning needs of students,
nursing staff and lecturers. The model is also used in Canberra and Queensland.
Dr Cathy Andrew, Head of the CPIT School of Nursing, sees this project as a great example of what’s possible with
collaboration. “We’re working with the CDHB to find a better way of teaching that meets students’ needs, yet also takes
into consideration the practical realities of working in a clinical environment. With the DEU model, student learning
becomes the responsibility of a whole area rather than an individual nurse. DEUs expose students to more experiences,
yet also provide that much needed continuity.”
Wards 1A and 2A from The Princess Margaret Hospital, Ward 25 from Christchurch Hospital, and the Spinal Injury Unit and
Surgical Orthopaedic Unit from Burwood Hospital have all been chosen as DEU pilot sites.
ENDS