DiSkPass TM : equipping future nurses with fundamental digital capabilities

Focus area: Digitally enabling and upskilling the whole nursing and midwifery workforce.

Authors: C Vasilica, M Wynn, D Davis, L Garwood-Cross, N. Withnell

DiSkPass TM

At the forefront of the digital transformation, the University of Salford Digital Skills Passport (‘DiSk Pass TM’) responds to key strategies and policy by incorporating digital capabilities within pre-registration nursing training (as recommended by Topol (2019) review). It aims to equip all students (the future healthcare workforce) with digital capabilities (functional skills, technical resilience, digital health knowledge, confidence, and values) to thrive in today’s digital world.

DiSK Pass has been designed to meet the Nursing & Midwifery Council’s (NMC) Realising professionalism: Standards for education and training: NMC Standards framework for nursing and midwifery education (NMC, 2018) as well as Health Education England’s (HEE) Digital Capabilities Framework (HEE, 2018), equipping students with level 2 competencies in digital capabilities.

What is working well

DiSk Pass TM follows the principles of learning as recognised in the heutagogic environment, a form of self-determined learning (Blaschke and Hase, 2012), allowing students to discover for themselves based on their individual context (Gillaspy & Vasilica, 2021). Adopting a heutagogical approach to learning design and delivery encourages learners to focus on their own values, interests, needs (e.g. adult vs mental health) leveraging learner agency. This methodology also permits nano-learning (short and engaging) and a coaching approach to encourage greater learning independence. The hybrid delivery (20% digital learning and 80% independent working) allows greater learning flexibility and space for deep thinking, exploration and application of concepts to specific contexts (e.g. creative content in public health prevention vs creative content for information Long term Conditions (LTC)), team work (e.g. explore innovative digital solutions to existing health challenges) and social learning (fun, engaging, peer to peer learning). The curriculum is informed by continued conversations with local providers, patients, and current research.

The impact of DiSk Pass TM is measured by a longitudinal study that captures students’ confidence, competence, and application to practice. Preliminary evidence points towards this learning solution as ‘enlightening’, ‘informative’, ‘educative’, ‘resourceful’, ‘engaging’, ‘feels good to be ahead’ and equipping the learner with digital competencies.
Students produce outputs that trigger wider engagement on Twitter, a viral TikTok on sex education, and novel digital solutions to current challenges. It indicates that focused digital capabilities training can potentially create the foundation for a digital enabled future and a culture where digital is valued and forms an integral part of care.

What needs to change?
We strongly advocate that digital capabilities are integral part of future nurse curriculum/education and potentially a programme requirement to ensure that all students appreciate its value and equally engage with training.
Students, as the future workforce, must have greater exposure to digital tools, systems and processes whilst on placements to complement knowledge. Learning continuity (e.g. during preceptorship) will create pathways for continued personal development and cement their knowledge.

What should we think about for the future?
The key aspects that we’ve learned throughout the process (from 2015 to date):
•Prominence: Until digital becomes ‘business as usual’ greater focus and emphasis on digital capabilities. This includes being a programme requirement, or a mandatory status within curriculum.
•A robust learning pedagogy: A research-informed curriculum, underpinned by a robust learning pedagogy focused on learning outcomes and learner context to stimulate greater learning independence.
•Resources: Provide resources and CPD opportunities for members of staff (educators) to keep up with the pace of change.
•Digital influencers: The acquisition and use of digital skills underpin participation in digital spaces, boost social learning and fundamentally create influencers that will progress digital transformation and support others in their journey.