Practice education facilitator roles and their value to NHS organisations

Abstract

The role of the practice education facilitator (PEF) was introduced to support the management of large student nurse numbers in clinical areas and to monitor and enhance the quality of placements. While much has been written about the activities and roles undertaken by PEFs, less is known about the value of this type of role to the NHS organisations that employ them. This article explores some of the views of PEFs working in a variety of trusts and organisations in London and surrounding counties. There is no consistent job definition and often insufficient support, leading to some PEFs feeling overwhelmed by the work and isolated within the role. Since its introduction, the role has required post holders to work more strategically within their trusts' education remits. However, it was felt by most post holders that the role remains undervalued and the perception is that these posts are vulnerable to budget cuts. The article considers what effect this could have on pre-registration nurse education. The profile of the role needs to be strengthened through consistent job descriptions and streamlining the number of job titles attached to the role.

Keywords: Curriculum; Education; Facilitator; Leadership; Mentors.