NHS Education for Scotland has announced the launch of “paperless placements” for nursing students at the University of Dundee, thanks to a digital tool developed by the NES Technology Service in collaboration with the NES Nursing and Midwifery pre-registration and practice education team.
e-Pad, which stands for Electronic Placement Assessment Documents, is a digital app which enables nursing students to record their learning progress and achievements electronically, replacing the current 350-page paper version of the Pad. It is accessible via either laptop or mobile device, through the Turas platform.
On functionality, the e-Pad allows educators to upload documents and resources for their students, as well as to review, offer feedback, and sign-off on student submissions.
Morag Robertson, senior product manager at the NES Technology Service, said: “The e-Pad app is built using cloud based technology, specifically the Microsoft Azure platform, and the software is supported by the .NET Framework. It captures evidence which supports skills, procedures and proficiencies demonstrated during a student placement and retains standardised wording required by the NMC.”
She added that “feedback has been extremely positive, a big plus is that e-Pad rather than the paper pad means that students on virtual placements can be supported too.”
Julie Smith, practice learning lead at the University of Dundee, commented: “The convenience of e-Pad has been welcomed by our students who previously had to carry around huge folders of paperwork on their nursing placements. Likewise staff have commented on the benefits of being able to easily review and provide feedback to students during their placements.”
To learn more about the new app, please click here.
In other news from health education, last year a proposal from Northumbria University seeking to establish a “pioneering immersive wellbeing environment for students” with the aim of reducing attrition rates amongst undergraduate students in the fields of health and care, received a grant of £40,000 from NHS England.
From Scotland, this month Scotland Excel opened an opportunity for tech-enabled care goods and services on behalf of the 32 local authorities in Scotland.
