Guidance on professional conduct for nursing and midwifery students Dorothy Patterson Midwifery Committee Registrant Member 7 th September 2010

Gu idance on profesional conduct for nursing and midwifery students

3Dorothy Patterson

Professionalism

The Nursing & Midwifery Order 2001 The core function of the NMC is to establish standards of education, training, conduct and performance for nursing and midwifery and to ensure those standards are maintained, thereby safeguarding the health and wellbeing of the public. The NMC’s main objective: …..shall be to safeguard the health and wellbeing of persons using or needing the services of registrants (Ref: Part II 3(4) The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001)

The Nursing & Midwifery Council - Standards for pre-registration education (2009) Guided by International definition of a midwife Safe and effective practice Provision of women centred care Ethical and legal obligations Respect for individuals and communities Qualities and excellence Context of practice Lifelong learning Evidence based practice

The code Make the care of people your first concern, treating them as individuals and respecting their dignity. Work with others to protect and promote the health and well being of those in your care, their families and carers, and the wider community. Provide a high standard of practice and care at all times. Be open and honest, act with integrity and uphold the reputation of your profession.

The White Paper 2007: Trust, Assurance & Safety

Student engagement Recommendations Some support to require all undergraduate students studying for professional qualifications to register at or near the start of their course Education providers should establish & uphold standards of conduct for students All students should be subject to the authority of FtP panels within the university structure Students should be aware, from the outset, of the requirements of professional registration

Guidance on professional conduct What’s the purpose of the guidance What is the Nursing & Midwifery Council What does the NMC do? Definitions of good health, good character and fitness to practise Advice for education and training providers

What does good character mean NMC’s assessment of character Taking up character reference from reliable sources Avoidance of behaviour problems as student Avoidance of a criminal record Not found guilty of misconduct by another regulatory body Intention to comply with NMC Code of conduct General publics assessment of character Tends to base our views of character on behaviour Harmen (1999) Character determined by our situation amendable to change Kuppermann (2001) Aristotle - virtues of good character as foundation of good citizenship Kant 1956 – what a person does rather than the type of person they were Begley (2010) attributes of a “good” practitioner are advocacy, Accountability, Assertiveness and Autonomy

Your personal life counts too! Important that students are aware that their behaviour and conduct, both during their programme and in their personal lives, may have an impact on: Their fitness to practise Their ability to complete their programme The willingness of their university to sign the declaration of good health and good character to become a registered nurse or midwife Examples of areas of concern: Aggressive, violent or threatening behaviour Cheating or plagiarising Criminal conviction or caution Dishonesty Drug or alcohol misuse Health concerns Persistent inappropriate attitude or behaviour Unprofessional behaviour Students have a duty to report to the university if they have been cautioned, charged or found guilty of a criminal offence at any time before or during their programme.

The Magazine – NMC & You NMC & You: embracing excellence together Information about the NMC and contact details How does all this affect me? Applying the student guidance Interpretation of some of the guidance e.g confidentiality, maintaining clear professional boundaries, being open and honest, implications, impact on personal life, asking for help Work-life balance Quotations/tips from students and NMC advisers Social networking – don’t get caught out Protecting others and protecting themselves – tips and advise

Don’t be afraid to ask for help Advised to: Seek help from your university tutor or clinical mentor Familiarise yourself with student support services available including confidential counselling, disability advisers, mentors, occupational health services, personal tutors, professional bodies or trade unions, student groups or unions, student health services Contact details for the NMC confidential help line

Visit our website Visit our website to keep appraised of new developments A-Z advice provides additional information to the standards – let us know if there are any nursing and midwifery issues that need to be added Take part in events and consultations: Review of pre-registration nursing education Midwives rules and standards Revalidation

What next? Student portal on NMC website going live early 2010 Evaluation events to commence April 2010 Student road shows and student conferences (TBC) Looking for champions Review of student indexing (TBC)

Key messages Knowledge, skills and attitude form the foundation of good nursing and midwifery practice: Seeing the person in the patient (Kings Fund 2008) Be nice ……… and don’t drop the baby (Gail Thomas in The New Midwifery, Science & Sensitivity in Practice 2000)

Thank you For more information about the NMC visit