Training of general practice nurses – evaluation by a general practice employer

There are two phases to evaluation: formative and summative. A formative evaluation involves collecting data during a development and using it to shape what happens according to problems that arise, and what seems to be working well. A summative evaluation occurs after the activity has ended and is used to make judgements about the success or otherwise of the development or service being evaluated.

Set out the outcomes you expect or aspire to:
- eg the training provided for general practice nurses (GPNs) working in the practice enables them to feel confident and be competent to perform their everyday tasks and take on the new roles and responsibilities that the practice requires of a GPN in this practice.

Describe your objectives for this evaluation:
-eg to assess the content of the training and match it with the GPN’s learning needs; how well training was provided and taken up; and what was achieved as the learning was applied by the GPN in their everyday and new tasks.

Method(s):
- complete all or part of sections A, B and/or C of this Tool to evaluate the range of training provided to the GPN in the past 12 months.

This is a self-assessment and your perspective might be biased, or you might not know what standards to expect. So it will be best if you compare your answers to the questions below with the responses given by your GPN to Tool - Learning and personal development - evaluation by a GPN about their learning and development, or ask your primary care trust to critique your approach to training.

A. What was the content of training you provided to your GPN(s)? Did they:

Did they:

have an initial personal development plan (PDP)? If ‘yes’ was it:
up-to-date?
similar to the PDP format of Tool – Understanding accreditation of prior experiential learning procedures
receive a performance review or appraisal (see Tool – Setting up a GPN forum )?
receive in-house training and development?
receive training and development from sources outside the practice team (see
Tool – Identifying your career anchors and how well you perceive these to match your current job and
Tool – Self-analysis: your skills and strengths, plans and vision )?
receive supervision: managerial, personal and clinical (see Tool – The GROW diagram )?

B. How did the training provided work out?

Did you:

undertake a training-needs assessment of your GPN(s) at induction (if relevant) (eg compare your approach to training within induction period with that in Tool – Checklist for employers )?
undertake a training-needs assessment of your GPN(s) and the rest of the staff?
Provide an individual personal review or appraisal of the extent to which the GPN has completed their PDP agreed at the previous review? Was the recent review helpful and supportive, discussing and identifying further learning activities they could undertake and the resources to do so (see Tool – Setting up a GPN forum )?
ensure that the GPN was able to undertake the learning activities that were agreed in their PDP as in-practice and outside learning opportunities?
ensure that the GPN was able to undertake the learning activities from sources outside the practice (eg e-learning, disease-specific modules, nurse prescribing, cervical cytology training etc) that were agreed in their PDP
(see Tool – Identifying your career anchors and how well you perceive these to match your current job,
Tool – Self-analysis: your skills and strengths, plans and vision and Tool – Careers information for nurses )?
provided supportive clinical supervision for the work of the GPN most of the time
(see Tool – The GROW diagram )?

C. What was the outcome of the range of training provided to your GPN(s)?

Have they gained any accreditation from the training and development you have made available in the past 12 months?

Does an audit show that they are undertaking the tasks, roles and responsibilities that are part of their job in a consistently competent manner (see Tool – Teamwork – how well is your team functioning )?

Can you show that they are competent to undertake the tasks, roles and responsibilities expected of a GPN working in your practice? Draw up a record chart including the skills you expect as in
Tool – Varying roles within general practice nursing (eg asthma assessments, diabetic foot examination, recording an electrocardiogram, wound care etc). The GPN’s supervisor should complete it, and the GPN should also complete it independently. Then compare their responses for each type of skill with the best practice described in
Tool – Varying roles within general practice nursing .

Conclusion

If things are going well, you will have answered 'yes' to nearly every question in each of sections A, B and C. Discuss any questions to which you have answered 'no' with others in your management team or with the general practice employers and see if things can be improved for your practice staff.