Work-Based Learning: Supporting Advanced Perioperative Practice

Abstract

The arrival of work-based learning awards in professional education offers an alternative route for healthcare professionals looking to undertake post-registration education. The unique way that work-based learning integrates individual learning needs with that of role requirements makes the award an ideal choice for the advanced perioperative practitioner (APP) who wishes to combine academic study with professional development. As an experienced and professionally qualified practitioner (Thatcher 2003) the APP will have an accumulation of knowledge, skills and experience that may go unrecognised in alternative awards. The term APP refers to a nurse, ODP or allied healthcare professional who undertakes a role that challenges the traditional boundaries of care within the perioperative environment (Radford 2004), such as that of a surgical care practitioner (SCP). Here Julie Quick, a SCP, examines the changes within post-registration education and in particular describes why work-based learning awards may be an appropriate choice for practitioners working at a higher level of practice.