The Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCLTHE) is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). This enables nurses and midwives who have completed the course, together with the additional requirement of a teaching practice portfolio, to record their qualification on the NMC register. The requirement for nurses and midwives to achieve recorded teacher status is laid out in the ‘Standards to support learning and assessment in practice’ (NMC, 2008). The standards take the form of a single developmental framework, which includes outcomes for mentors and practice teachers.
The ADC works in partnership with the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences to address the quality assurance and quality enhancement issues relating directly to nursing and midwifery staff.
As part of the quality processes, the NMC undertakes an annual review of programmes delivered by the Faculty, and this year the PGCLTHE was included in the review. The reviewers’ visit took place on 1–2 February 2011, entailing scrutiny of documentation and processes, visits to clinical practice areas, and interviews with a range of stakeholders. Verbal feedback was extremely
positive, particularly in relation to standards of teaching and the responsiveness and accessibility of academic staff. The reviewers concluded that all risks were controlled, and scored the provision as ‘good’ in all six aspects, with a commendation for partnership working with local stakeholders.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this outcome. The PGCLTHE will be revalidated in the 2011/12 academic year, and we hope to work with staff and course participants to build on this success and to continue to serve the specific needs of nursing and midwifery staff.