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Mailer2006
The SMARTAL project surveyed 444 nursing students at St Martin's College about their access to learning resources while on clinical placements. Most students were placed in local hospitals. The survey found that 96% felt access to resources was important, but many faced difficulties using placement and local libraries due to limited access, study space, or internet. It recommended improving information provided to students and clinical staff, expanding resource sharing between libraries, and investigating longer library hours to better support students' learning needs while on placement.
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Mailer2006
- 1. The SMARTAL Project StMARTin’s College health students Access to Learning resources whilst on placement Liz Mailer Learning and Information Services St Martin’s College March 2006
- 2. St Martin’s College •a higher education college, whose degrees are awarded by Lancaster University. • SMC has 5291 FTE students (2005/06), the majority taking teacher training or nursing and allied health-related courses.
- 3.
- 4. Background • The projectran from December 2004 to March 2005. • HENSAL (Health and Education Northumbria Students Access to Learning resources whilst on placement) Project • 2005/06 – 1282 FTE pre-registration health students who spend up to half their course on placement
- 5. Aims • To determinepatterns of use of learning resources • To find out barriers to access and use • Provide local evidence to improve access to facilities, services and resources • To compare with other HE institutions and contribute to the evidence base
- 6. Objectives To find out: •how important it was for the students to be able to access learning resources while they were on placement • if they had access to a placement library, IT and study space and, if so, were they using them • what difficulties they experienced • how much use they made of the College library, local NHS library and other libraries • who they asked for help in accessing and using the resources
- 7. Methodology • Questionnaire tostudents – 444 students, 60% response rate • Interviews with 5 nursing Practice Placement Facilitators
- 8. Significant findings • 72%- in a hospital (68% of these in hospitals in the 2 local trusts) • 96% - thought access to learning resources was either important or very important • Most students used libraries for accessing printed books and journals • 84% - used learning resources for completing a College assignment
- 9. Availability of learningresources by venue 0 20 40 60 80 100 h ospital p rim ary care o th er ven ue % study space library internet access
- 10.
- 11.
- 12. Use of specificresources 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 B ooksPrinted journals E-journals D atabases E-books W eb sites Study space % Placement SMC Home
- 13. Other findings • 82%- internet access at home • Little awareness of NHS e-resources • 65% - never accessed their College e- mail account • Most students asked clinical staff for help in using learning resources
- 14. Recommended Actions -1 • Consultation between the Faculty and the library on placement audits • Briefing sessions with the students • Leaflet, web page, VLE module • Information fluency training • Feedback from the Faculty • Exchange of information with mentors and NHS library staff
- 15. Recommended Actions -2 • Publicise extended loans • Pilot postal loans • Pilot borrowing access for NHS mentors • Investigate longer College library opening hours • Extend methodology to other groups of placement students
- 16. • Full textof the SMARTAL report is available at www.ucsm.ac.uk/library • MEHMailer@ucsm.ac.uk • Look out for the next issue of the Health Information and Libraries Journal
Editor's Notes
- #3 TDAP – applied March 2005 Amalgamate St Martin’s College and Cumbria Institute of the Arts to form a new University of Cumbria from August 2007
- #4 Barrow and Wh – nursing London – BA with QTS (Primary) and Foundation degree in Teaching and Learning Support
- #5 - Sabbatical leave for support staff - Inspired by Northumbria Univ’s HENSAL project,reported 2002 (graham Walton) THESAL – Sept 2005 – Iain Baird. - ie. A quarter of total number. Nursing, midwifery, OT, physio and radiog. Placement mainly in NW, but also NE and Scotland. Placements usually about 8 weeks in length.
- #6 Define learning resources What was available, what were the problems to support the achievement of the LIS’s strategic aims, particularly to work in partnership with all stakeholders to support the academic strategy, to nurture innovative practice and deliver mutually advantageous services for the benefit of users To remove barriers to learning by increasing and simplifying access to buildings and services and to ensure that the learning environment is conducive for the diverse study needs of today’s and tomorrow’s learners
- #7 Plus access to IT, use of College web site and College e-mail
- #8 Qnre closely based on Northumbria Univs. Health students who had recently returned from placement – nearly all 2nd and 3rd years = about one third of total of pre-reg students Link between college and NHS, working closely with the mentors Literature review.
- #9 Very similar to HENSAL and THESAL All NHS placements. Ie half on placement in hospitals in the 2 local trusts. Rest primary and community care, mental health, learning disabilites locations.
- #10 Definition of a library Reflects general access for NHS staff
- #11 Inconvenient opening hours for College and NHS libraries Too busy to study Lack of quiet study space IT problems – not given usernames, difficult to get on to a PC.
- #13 Printed books and journals from college library Some use of e-journals and databases Access to electronic resources mainly from home
- #14 those not having internet access at home disadvantaged - cf Teesside and UNN but didn’t contact home library so not aware of problems
- #15 Over 20 recommendations, to Faculty of Health, for LIS and the SHA. Report presented to and discussed by Faculty Board,PLAG and other faculty committees. Well-received. Need faculty cooperation. Not all acted on yet. Audits - Now on PLAG. Producing a revised audit strategy. Briefing - Problem of lack of info – extended loans, remind to use College email, availability of resources while on placement More info Make sure have info skills before they go on placement – research articles, web evaluation forms and PLAG So know about college library services. Pilot mentor access scheme. Work with local NHS libraries – AHL meetings.
- #16 Complaints re renewing books – prior arrangement. - - nursing and midwifery - particular problems during the summer vacation - social work and teaching courses
- #17 Report on web – use A/Z index. Report contains bibliog incl HENSAL and THESAL. Article by Richard Marriott. Access to learning resources for students on placement in the UK: what are the issues and how can we resolve them? Health Information and Libraries Journal, 2005, 22, 262-6 Not really doing anything dynamic! Advantages of doing research – Personal - Research skills, conferences, journal articles Collaborating with academics – seen to be proactive, found out a lot about the courses and placements which in turn help us provide the services they need. Networking with colleagues and finding out about other initiatives