Course Catalogue

Nursing and Advanced Practice

This course is designed to equip nurses with the support required to critically appraise the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for the role of the Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA). This PNA programme will support nurses to develop their existing leadership qualities and skills to facilitate the implementation of the Advocating for Education and Quality Improvement (A-EQUIP) model of supervision in their areas of practice.

Professional nurse advocates provide professional clinical leadership within their clinical settings. This includes the facilitation of restorative clinical supervision to other nurses and health care staff, leadership of quality improvement projects and the development of cultures of learning. The PNA training is a nurse-specific, continuing professional development.

Outline Syllabus:
The syllabus for this programme consists of:

• The role of the Professional Nurse Advocate within the context of national and local governance policies
• Restorative Clinical Supervision including approaches such as coaching, motivational interviewing, reflection and debriefing.  
• Supervisor/supervisee relationship, including practically delivering, and managing clinical supervision in practice.  
• Ethical & Legal considerations in clinical supervision which may affect the supervisory process for example, conflict of interest, maintaining professional boundaries and confidentiality 
• Strategies to support staff wellbeing and resilience, including burn out, compassion and self-care. 
• Leadership theories, focusing on compassionate leadership and the PNA as a leader. 
• Approaches to quality improvement in practice to ensure people experience safe, compassionate, person-centred care including the concept of advocacy. 
• Regional and national forums supporting the role of the PNA and ongoing development and support the PNA.  
• Approaches to evidence-based practice. 
• Self-Awareness, emotional intelligence and ongoing development in the role of the PNA 

Module Overview:
The Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA) programme is a clinical and professional leadership programme which aims to equip nurses with the skills and knowledge to deliver restorative clinical supervision to their colleagues and teams across the NHS in England; lead quality improvement initiatives to improve patient care; and contribute to positive cultures of learning.

Additional Information:

• The module will be delivered through both classroom based and online learning.
• The overall module length will be 15 weeks.
• Content will be flexible to accommodate and support staff in the current complex climate of care and will combine teaching delivery via a virtual platform such as Microsoft Teams and remote learning activities via the virtual learning platform
• The core delivery of each module delivery mode is a series of tutor-led or group-led lectures or workshops which are delivered through attendance based sessions or online using platforms such as Microsoft Teams. This will be supported by offering tutorial support to students to work towards the successful achievement of the assessment. 
• Practical application in the forms of simulated experiences and action learning will be promoted to link theory to practice
• Regular academic supervision will be available by a designated member of the Programme team 
• Reflective activities to support development of portfolio
• Directed independent study comprising of independent learning by expecting participants to add depth and breadth to their knowledge of topics, to practice skills and to reflect on critical incidents and their practice supported by the virtual learning platform for online content