21 Qualifications and experience

Resolution submitted by the RCN Essex Branch

That this meeting of RCN Congress asks Council to investigate how appropriate nursing experience can be recognised and accredited

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Progress reports

Submitted by: Essex Branch
Council lead and committee assigned: Sue Fern, Nursing Practice and Policy Committee
Committee decision: Integrate project into ongoing work stream
Members involved: Sara Bennett, Essex Branch and Tracey Risebrow, Suffolk Branch

Final summary update at May 2012

The debate at Congress focused on the competences and qualities needed for career development, and the relative importance of
academic qualifications.

Following Congress, an analysis was undertaken into existing RCN work in this area to see what gaps there might be. RCN Council member Sue Fern and members Sara Bennett from Essex Branch and Tracey Risebrow from Suffolk Branch contributed to the work.

It was decided that it would be useful to develop specific resources to support members without degree level qualifications who:

Consequently, the following work has been completed:

improved signposting through RCN Direct and on the RCN website to help members locate support and information

new online advice and information which can be accessed through RCN Direct and the RCN website new training resources for RCN reps, so they are better informed
when supporting members.

You can also download the full update (Word 127KB)

Update at November 2011

In order to take this work forward and look into how appropriate nursing experience can be recognised and accredited, an analysis of previous work was undertaken to develop an understanding of what further work needs to be done. The key deliverables identified are:

Pre-registration experience is not included in this work stream. A background paper on RCN policy in relation to the resolution item will be developed and a review of the material from the RCN Accreditation Unit is now complete. A summary of RCN activity related to accreditation of practitioners will also be undertaken.

Anne Casey, RCN Informatics Adviser/Paediatric Editor, Ruth Burey, RCN Learning and Development Facilitator and Sue Fern, RCN Council lead have discussed the draft project brief and work plan for this congress item. The expectations, outcomes and specified deliverables for the work stream have been identified with the appointed member leads Sara Bennett and Tracey Risebrow, both from the Eastern Region. Ruth Burey met with RCN employment relations staff to investigate what current advice is provided on the issues raised. Based on these meetings and the identified expectations of the Council lead, recommendations will be made for resources to support members to answer questions they may have about nursing without a degree and, unequal access to jobs, limitations on career progression, senior posts filled by nurses with degrees but limited experience, and lack of opportunities/ resources to undertake a degree.

The project team for this work stream includes stakeholders from the RCN Accreditation Unit (Tina Stanton, Accreditation Manager), the RCN Nursing Department, Employment Relations Department and the Open University and other stakeholders.

Debate report

Lee Yarwood, from Essex branch, proposed this resolution, which focused on whether nurses’ experience was being properly recognised and rewarded, especially when they applied for jobs. “Is it acceptable that academia comes first and experience second,” he asked, adding that some job advertisements asked specifically for nurses holding degrees.

Tracey Risebrow, Suffolk branch, said discrimination was abhorred in all areas of nursing, but was tolerated in regard to nurses without degrees.

Anne Corrion, a member of the RCN Education Forum, said work-based learning was a route open to some nurses wanting to study for a degree, while Brian Lawson, from West Lancashire, said he welcomed the fact that a recent management restructuring at his workplace had taken into account managers’ experience, as well as academic record.

Christopher Butler, of the Nurses in Management and Leadership, spoke as a trust chief executive and said attitude, passion, commitment and drive were among the qualities he looked for among staff as well as a track record in learning.

Non-voting member Andy McGovern introduced a political angle to the debate, saying that nurses’ increments rewarded their experience but the Government had proposed cutting them in return for a no-redundancies guarantee for some staff. “The one thing we can do is fight to make sure the increments we are entitled to are paid, and not used as emotional blackmail,” he said.

Results

For: 408                95.1%
Against: 21          4.9%
Abstensions: 4

In terms of job evaluation the NHS job evaluation handbook (Department of Health, 2004) states that each pay level “ takes account of the educational level normally expected as well as the equivalent level of knowledge gained without  undertaking a formal course of study and the practical experience required to fulfil the job responsibilities satisfactorily.”

Meanwhile the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF), which operates alongside the job evaluation scheme, also states that “it will recognise and support the effective learning and development of individuals and teams - with all members of staff being supported to learn throughout their careers and develop in a variety of ways, and being given the resources to do so.”

The RCN welcomes the fact that job evaluation and KSF recognises experience as well as learning. In September 2008 the minimum award for pre-registration nursing programmes in the UK was made a nursing registration with degree. However, this has led to some anxiety being expressed around the career prospects for those nurses who do not have a degree-level qualification.

Current work on recognition of prior learning (RPL) is being undertaken by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) in partnership with the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) with links to employers. The key premise of RPL is that recognition is given for learning and not for experience alone; learning that is recognised should be transferable and that credit points awarded through RPL are valued the same as those gained through credit rated learning.

The SCQF continues to be a key tool for RPL in the Scottish education sector and is a central pillar to strategic plans. Tomorrow’s learner will bring maturity and experience coupled with less time and funding to take part in traditional learning, and RPL is likely to play a major role in future learning models. Guidance for individuals using RPL processes includes developing reflective practice skills, and it is suggested that reflective evidence gathered in the NHS for KSF could be used for RPL.

Meanwhile, universities in Wales give nurses undertaking post registration education programmes the opportunity to use existing learning and experience and map their learning to outcomes from academic programmes through APL (accreditation of prior learning) and APEL (accreditation of prior experiential learning). There is a similar system in force in Northern Ireland.

References and further reading

Department of Health (2004) NHS job evaluation handbook (2nd edition), London: DH. Available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4090845
(Accessed 3/2/11)(Web)

Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (2009) SCQF handbook: user guide, Glasgow: SCQF. Available at:
http://www.scqf.org.uk/News/LatestNews/SCQFHandbookUserGuide2009.aspx
(Accessed 3/2/11) (Web)

Scottish Social Services Council (no date) SCQF recognition of prior learning, Dundee: SSSC. Available at: workforcesolutions.sssc.uk.com/course/view.php?id=12 (Accessed 3/2/11) (Web)