A day in the life of a theatre-based Clinical Education Facilitator

My name is Louise Dye and I am a Clinical Education Facilitator for the Orthopaedic Theatres service at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital.

My role is varied and very rewarding, it is the most positive position I have held in a theatre suite and it enables me to have interaction with all levels of staff within the team.

As my title suggests my role is to facilitate the educational needs of the orthopaedic theatre team ensuring they have access to up to date evidence based learning enabling them to provide high standards of peri-operative care. To achieve this I facilitate training sessions with the company representatives who supply our implants so staff are able to learn away from the immediate clinical environment. I also research the alternative training methods via online platforms and webinar’s, sharing these with the theatre teams so they can access them in their own time.

I am also involved with the supervision and assessment of students who are on placement in our team these include pre-registration nurses, trainee nursing associates, operating department practitioners and paramedics. The trust I work in supports practice placements for degree students and apprentice students form several local universities’ which brings a wide variety of course programmes for us to facilitate.

All new staff joining the department are placed onto a training programme which I monitor, ensuring they are appropriately supported and have access to additional training sessions. New preceptors from nursing, nursing associates and operating department practitioners are assigned to the trusts preceptorship programme, which includes coaching sessions specific for theatre practitioners.

As clinical time places restrictions on staff training time we facilitate weekend training sessions, and have reps facilitate training on our governance days when we have reduced operating sessions. We have also developed a variety of learning packs to support the education of our orthopaedic staff.

My days are varied and I have to run my own schedule to fit everything in, but having access to the staff rosters means I can plan ahead so we don’t miss key development review dates.

I am part of the senior team for the orthopaedic service as well as a team member for the practice development team so I also get to support other teams in the department as well as my practice development colleagues.