As professional practice disciplines, nursing and midwifery are underpinned by a wide range of clinical skills and competencies. Competency is the ability of professional nurses or midwives to practice safely and effectively within their scope of practice. Clinical skills include both technical skills (e.g. wound care and the administration of injections) and non-technical skills (e.g. clinical reasoning, clinical decision making, professional judgement, team working and communication). The acquisition of these skills is an integral component of the nursing and midwifery programmes at the UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems.
Students develop their clinical competencies by applying theory to practice in our state-of-the-art clinical skills laboratories. These laboratories provide students with the opportunity to practice a skill in a safe environment and to develop basic key competencies prior to providing direct patient care. As a result of becoming physically, emotionally and cognitively involved students are able to integrate knowledge from diverse theoretical areas into their skills practice.
Lecturers and clinical skills tutors facilitate students' learning through a diverse range of teaching strategies based on evidence-based learning principles. These strategies include role modelling, demonstration, simulation and role play. Learning is also promoted by enabling students to reflect on their practice and by providing feedback from observations of their skills by peers and academic staff. Feedback and formal assessment of clinical skills is also faciliated by utilisation of our sophisticated audio-visual system. We actively engage with our clinical partners to ensure alignment between our skills teaching and the needs of the nursing and midwifery professions.
The clinical skills laboratories are managed by a team that includes a clinical skills manager, academic staff and an audio-visual technician. Please view the brief audio-visual introduction below to one of our laboratories by our Clinical Skills Manager, Liz Greene.
