Making the invisible visible: supporting nursing students with hidden disabilities in clinical practice

Abstract information: Making the invisible visible: Supporting Nursing Students with Hidden Disabilities in Clinical Practice Concurrent session Aim: The aim of the paper is to explore the experiences of nursing students with hidden disabilities in clinical practice and to offer suggestion for mentors on how to provide reasonable adjustments to facilitate a positive learning experience. Abstract: The Equality Act (2010) defines a disability as a condition that has a significant adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out day-to-day activities in the long term. Some disabilities, such as dyslexia, epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, dyspraxia and others, may be hidden and therefore mentors and practice colleagues may not be aware that a student has a disability unless the learner chooses to disclose this fact. This concurrent session will highlight the experiences of nursing students with hidden disabilities in clinical practice and will suggest some reasonable adjustment that may improve the student experience and help learners to complete practice placements successfully. The presentation will share the results of a Plan, Do Study Act (PDSA) Cycle (part of a larger doctoral study) which explored the experiences of a small number of student nurses with hidden disabilities such as dyslexia on clinical placements. Nursing students may not disclose a hidden disability to mentors if they perceive that there is a risk of being unfairly judged or discriminated against. Conversely, some mentors may hold negative views about learners with certain impairments, which may inhibit the student’s learning experience during a clinical placement Negative experiences during a clinical placement could impact on learning and affect the student’s confidence, however personal tutors and link tutors may not always be aware of these issues unless the student discusses this with them. The session will suggest strategies mentors can use to support students with hidden disabilities, as well as highlighting the role of the link lecturer as a resource for facilitating successful clinical placements for nursing students. Learning Outcomes: By the end of the session participants will be able to : • Discuss implications of the Equality Act 2010 on support of student nurses with disabilities • List 4 hidden disabilities that may affect student nurses • Explain reasonable adjustments mentors in clinical practice can provide to support student nurses with hidden disabilities Biography of Presenter: Daniela Blumlein is a lecturer in pre-registration adult nursing at the University of West London (UWL) and she is the programme leader for the PG Dip in pre-registration adult nursing. She is a Registered nurse who trained in Germany and holds a MA in Lifelong Learning from the Institute of Education and is currently studying for a professional doctorate in Nursing at UW