Our Standards for student supervision and assessment set out our expectations for the learning, support and supervision of students in the practice environment. They also set out how students are assessed for theory and practice.
Article 15(1) of the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 (‘the Order’) requires the Council to establish standards for education and training which are necessary to achieve the standards of proficiency for admission to the register, as required by Article 5(2) of the Order. The Standards for student supervision and assessment are established under the provision of Article
15(1) of the Order.
These standards aim to provide Approved Education Institutions (AEIs) and practice learning partners with the flexibility to develop innovative approaches to nursing and midwifery education, while being accountable for the local delivery and management of approved programmes in line with our standards. Public safety is central to our standards. Students will be in contact with people throughout their education and it’s important that they learn in a safe and effective way.
The Standards for student supervision and assessment apply to all NMC approved programmes and should be read with the NMC Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education and the programme standards specific to the programme that is being delivered. There must be compliance with all these standards for an education institution to be approved and run NMC approved programmes.
Our Standards for student supervision and assessment are set out under the following three headings:
Effective practice learning (section 1)
These standards describe what needs to be in place to deliver safe and effective learning experiences for nursing and midwifery students in practice.
Supervision of students (sections 2 to 5)
Here we describe the principles of student supervision in the practice environment, and the role of the practice supervisor.
Assessment of students and confirmation of proficiency
(sections 6 to 10)
In these standards we set out what we require from educators who are assessing and confirming students’ practice and academic achievement.
We describe the role and responsibilities of the practice assessor and the academic assessor.
Each of the described roles must be in place for education institutions and practice learning partners to meet our standards. Additional roles may be introduced in line with local or national requirements. Programme leaders will
confirm the achievement of proficiencies by each student on a programme as set out in the Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education and the programme standards specific to the programme.
The Standards for student supervision and assessment are outcome-focused and allow for local innovation in programme delivery; they are designed to work across all programmes and in all settings. Student supervision and assessment can be flexible, provided the education institutions and practice learning partners meet our standards. Students in practice or work-placed learning must be supported to learn. This may include being supernumerary, meaning that they are not counted as part of the staffing required for safe and effective care in that setting. The decision on the level of supervision provided for students should be based on the needs of the individual student. The level of supervision can decrease with the student’s increasing proficiency and confidence. Students must be provided with adjustments in accordance with relevant equalities and human rights legislation in all learning environments and for supervision and assessment.
