How to Guide

The bulk of this handbook describes the six enhance domains in detail. Each of these sections is structured in the same way and for each domain covers:

•  Purpose
•  Why it is important
•  Domain learning outcomes
•  Subject areas
•  What this outcome means
•  Areas you may find helpful to explore
•  Links with other domains
•  Work-based activities
•  Online learning opportunities
•  Key resources

A section on recording and evidencing learning can be found in section 8 of this handbook. Recording what you have done, evidencing, and reflecting on your experience and how it relates to the domain outcomes is important. If it isn’t written down it will be difficult in future, to prove that it happened. Various ways of facilitating this process are currently being explored alongside how to recognise, reward, and accredit participation in the enhance programme.

How to use this handbook

Each of the six domains of enhance comes with a set of intended outcomes. These describe, in broad terms, the things that you should be able to do on successful completion of the programme, in whatever form of it you are participating. Take a look at these outcomes and make sure you understand what they are about. A brief description of each has been added to help you alongside some suggestions about the subject areas that you may find helpful to explore. Try to surface your own learning needs in relation to these outcomes. These will evolve over time but have a think about what’s important to you right now.

It can be difficult to be honest and objective when analysing our own development needs but your educational or project supervisor should be able to help you in this process. There are some useful tools to help with this process of ‘formative assessment’ and you can find a great many resources to support this process on the Educator Hub of eLearning for Healthcare. When you’ve identified what you need (and want) to learn, choose your learning methods.

Practical suggestions for work-based activities are provided for each domain alongside some online learning units and signposting to some key resources. Many more resources can be found on the dedicated enhance section of the NHS Learning Hub. When you have tackled your chosen subject using an appropriate collection of methods, revisit the domain outcome. How confident do you now feel? What has changed for you? You will probably find that you now have more questions than answers. But that’s OK. Learning is a continually iterative process as we build on our existing knowledge and skills and gradually become a different person capable of acting, behaving and thinking in completely new ways. Finally, as you develop your own unique expertise across all the areas of enhance, this handbook should become redundant. It helps though to know where to start!

You can view the full chapter here.