Supporting neurodivergent nursing students in their practice placements
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Supporting neurodivergent nursing students in their practice placements

Rachael Major Senior lecturer, Guernsey Institute University Centre, Princess Elizabeth Hospital, St Martins, Guernsey
Chloe Jackson Staff nurse, NHS Grampian, Aberdeen, Scotland
Jade Wareham Staff nurse, Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Isle of Wight, England
Jessica Pidcock Children’s nursing student, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To recognise the strengths that neurodivergent nursing students can bring to practice

  • To understand how practice assessors and supervisors can develop neuro-inclusive learning environments

  • To contribute towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD (UK readers)

  • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)

Neurodivergent conditions such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Tourette’s syndrome are common, and it is highly likely that practice assessors and supervisors will be asked to support neurodivergent nursing students in their practice learning environments. This article details the strengths that neurodivergent students can bring to nursing, as well as some of the challenges they may experience in practice settings. It outlines how practice assessors and supervisors can develop neuro-inclusive learning environments where neurodivergent students can thrive, as well as how to support them if they are not meeting their required proficiencies. The authors also discuss how appropriate reasonable adjustments can be implemented by using a collaborative approach with students.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2024.e12262

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

@rachaelmajor1

Correspondence

Rachael.major@gov.gg

Conflict of interest

None declared

Major R, Jackson C, Wareham J et al (2024) Supporting neurodivergent nursing students in their practice placements. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2024.e12262

Published online: 15 April 2024

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