The Standards for Student Supervision and Assessment (SSSA, NMC 2018) set out the NMC expectations for how students will be supported, supervised, and assessed in practice.
There are three regulatory roles:
Practice Supervisor
Allocated by the practice area - responsible for:
- Supporting and guiding students in practice
- Facilitating student learning opportunities
Students are supervised in the practice environment by Practice Supervisors. They will have one Practice Supervisor allocated per placement.
Role and responsibilities:
Practice Supervisors are Registered Nurses or Midwives and will have current knowledge and experience of the area in which they are providing support, supervision, and feedback.
Practice Supervisors will serve as a role model for safe and effective practice, in line with their code of conduct. The level of supervision reflects the student's learning needs and stage of learning.
Contribution to assessment:
Practice Supervisors will record regular feedback in the PAD by periodically recording relevant observations on the student's conduct, proficiency, and achievement.
They can contribute to student assessment and will engage with Practice Assessors and Academic Assessors to share relevant observations. They are expected to raise and respond to student conduct and competence concerns.
2. Practice Assessor
Allocated by the practice area - responsible for:
- Assessing student proficiency in practice
- Facilitating student learning opportunities
Students are assessed in the practice environment by Practice Assessors. Nursing students will have one Practice Assessor for the placement. Midwifery students will have one Practice Assessor for each placement cluster.
Role and responsibilities:
Practice Supervisors are Registered Nurses or Midwives with appropriate equivalent experience for the student's field of practice. They will maintain current knowledge and expertise relevant for the proficiencies and programme outcomes they are assessing. They will not simultaneously be the Practice Supervisor and Academic Assessor for the same student.
Contribution to assessment:
Practice assessment. Practice Assessors will conduct objective and evidence-based assessments to confirm student achievement of proficiency and programme outcomes for practice learning. They will draw on student records, direct observations, student self-reflection and other resources to make their decisions.
They will understand the student's learning and achievement in theory and will periodically observe the student to inform decisions. They will gather and coordinate feedback from Practice Supervisors and any other Practice Assessors to be assured about their decisions.
Practice Assessors are expected to raise and respond to student conduct and competence concerns.
3. Academic Assessor
Allocated by the University - responsible for:
- Confirming practice assessment and student proficiency
- Making a recommendation to the University on whether the student has successfully completed requirements in practice for the part
Students will have one Academic Assessor for each part of the programme and won't have the same Academic Assessor for two parts in a row.
Role and responsibilities:
Academic Assessors are Registered Nurses or Midwives with appropriate equivalent experience for the student's field of practice.
They will have an understanding of the student’s learning and achievement in practice, and will maintain current knowledge and expertise relevant for the proficiencies and programme outcomes they are assessing and confirming. They will not simultaneously be the Practice Supervisor and Practice Assessor for the same student.
Contribution to assessment:
Academic assessment. At the relevant point during the year, Academic Assessors will review the student's Practice Assessment Document. They will collate and confirm student achievement of proficiency and programme outcomes in practice.
Academic Assessors will communicate and collaborate with the Practice Assessor to confirm the student has met the requirements in practice for part of the programme which has been assessed. A checklist will be provided in due course for this purpose.
Academic Assessors will be directly involved where the practice area has raised a concern about student conduct or competence.