Enhancing placement capacity and increasing knowledge and confidence: a children's hospice e-learning placement.

BACKGROUND

Preparing nursing students to care for children with a life-limiting illness is challenging for two main reasons: misconceptions about the breadth of services provided by a children's hospice and limited placement capacity for such services.

AIMS: This paper examines the development and value of a virtual children's hospice placement for children's nursing students and learning disability nursing students.

METHODS

A total of 40 nursing students undertook a week's virtual placement in a children's hospice. The innovative virtual placement used a national evidence-based model-Peer Enhanced e-Placement (PEEP) within a UK children's hospice. It was evaluated through pre- and post-placement surveys.

FINDINGS: Findings suggest that this e-placement, developed collaboratively between a children's hospice and a higher education institution enhanced student knowledge, skills and confidence.

CONCLUSION

E placements, such as the one described here, can increase placement capacity alongside enhancing students' knowledge, skills and confidence.