The future of nurse education? Studying at the Open University in Scotland

As the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic reached its peak in the UK from March to May 2020, the ‘clap for carers’ campaign demonstrated the strong public appreciation of nurses and other key workers...

Differences in critical thinking skills between nursing students on a fast-track versus traditional 4-year programme

The ‘advanced standing programme’ (ASP), the ‘accelerated track programme’ and the ‘2-year second-degree nursing programme’ are different terms used interchangeably in North America to describe a...

The importance of supernumerary status during a pandemic

‘Programme providers must ensure that students are supernumerary during all practice learning. Supernumerary means that the student will not, as part of their programme of preparation, be contracted...

Understanding how human rights law affects nursing practice

Following the Second World War the European Convention on Fundamental Rights and Freedoms (1950) (the Convention) was created by the Council of Europe to formalise the relationship between individuals...

The urgent need to improve health professionals' communication skills

In a healthcare context these basic expectations of how the communication process between health professional and patient should proceed will take on an increased significance because of the power...

The role of community pharmacies during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pharmacies have played a vital role during the pandemic, not only by ensuring a stable supply of key medicines, but also in becoming an information hub regarding the virus. Many pharmacies are now the...

What it means to be an ally

Promoting mental health among farming communities

What are nurses worth?

The Government announced in its March budget a reduction in NHS funding and no allocation for a pay increase for nurses. We then found that the Government's recommendation to the Pay Review Body was...

The management of urinary tract infections in older patients within an urgent care out-of-hours setting

UTI is defined as an infection of the urinary system, involving lower tract, upper tract or both (NICE, 2020a). The pathogens responsible for UTI include Escherichia coli (E. coli), which accounts for...