Supporting clinical skills developments.
The provision of clinical skills facilities in nursing and medical education centres has become more common (Bradley and Postlethwaite 2003, Ker et al 2003, Scott 2001), fuelled by calls to improve practitioners' fitness for practice (UKCC 1999), shared interprofessional learning (DoH 2001), and modernisation of the workforce (DoH 2000a). However, little attention appears to have been directed towards the pragmatic task of supporting these facilities. Support mechanisms were instituted in one school of nursing and midwifery to facilitate skills-based teaching and learning in a simulated clinical environment. The benefits of the new technical support worker role are discussed, including the more efficient use of learning resources and the positive learning experience of students.