NHS Flying Start course 'builds clinical skills and confidence in nurses'
Thursday 17th November 2011
Newly qualified nurses who took part in an online course during their first year of employment reported increased clinical skills development and confidence.
A survey studied 547 newly qualified nurses, midwives and allied health professionals who had undertaken the Flying Start NHS programme, and 21 projected lead/co-ordinators and 22 mentors were interviewed.
Results, published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, found a rise in clinical skills development and confidence among those who had taken the course. It also emerged that mentors need more training and time to provide support.
Three-quarters of respondents found the clinical skills module the most useful for clinical skills development, followed by safe practice, reflective practice, communication and professional development.
When it came to developing confidence, the top five modules were safe practice, clinical skills, reflective practice, professional development and communication.
The least useful module turned out to be the careers pathway section, with just 12 per cent of respondents saying it had helped them to understand their future career options.
In the first six weeks of employment, three-quarters of staff had been allocated a mentor. This rose to nine out of ten within six months. However, they spent an average of just over two hours per month with their mentor.
Furthermore, community-based staff were more satisfied with the course than acute-based staff.
"It is clear that newly-qualified practitioners undertaking Flying Start NHS in their first year found it increased their clinical skills development and confidence. Investing the time needed to make this course even more effective is likely to
pay dividends for the NHS, patients and carers, as well as for the practitioners themselves," said lead author Professor Pauline Banks.
However, many respondents had found it difficult to complete the course, with some indicating they thought there was a lack of partnership or an imbalance in the expectations placed on them as newly qualified practitioners and NHS support.
Written by Megan Smith
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