The Effective Practitioner

1
The Effective Practitioner

• Themes from The Evidence Base
• Carol Watson
• Professional Adviser

2
Aims

• Definitions
• Key Elements
• Emerging Early Themes
• Contemporary Issues
• CPD Focus
• Challenges

3
Definitions

• What does Effective mean?
• In terms of the practitioner
• In terms of practice
• For whose benefit are we being effective?
• The users of our services?
• The wider population?
• The service?
• The practitioners?
• Can a practitioner be effective within a
  team/service that is less than effective?

4
Key Elements

• Capability, Competence
• Knowledge skills attitudes
• Motivation
• To change, to improve, to learn, to be
  involved/engaged
• Accountability
• Social, public protection, patient safety
• Each of these has implications for CPD, but also
  for management and service structures/ processes

5
Emerging Themes

• Clinical skills and knowledge- role, profession,
  service specific
• Supervision
• Appraisal
• Guided Reflection
• Interactive and multimethod inc WBL PBL
• Multi-professional/agency
• Locally (ie team) driven, owned and customised
• Involvement of all stakeholders in training needs
  analyses and delivery of CPD

6
Key Elements (cont.)

• Managing change and surviving
• Managing professional relationships
• Building and sustaining effective relationships
  with service users and the wider public
• How much of your CPD activity engages the
  communities you serve?

7
CPD Focus On

• Interpersonal skills, e.g influencing,
  negotiation, conflict management, partnership
  working
• Research/audit/evidence based practice
• Critical thinking, problem solving, decision
  making
• Change management skills
• Workforce planning, service re-design
• Health improvement/promotion
• Political awareness

8
Contemporary Issues

• The link between emotional motivators for staff
  and better services
• The increase in mandatory training
• The constraining effects of role descriptors
• Implications of Social Accountability
• For front line practitioners
• For managers
• Organisational systems and processes which
  inhibit critical thinking
• The importance of networks, peer support
• The critical role of managers and their changing
  needs

9
Challenges

• High quality CPD is rooted in both self-directed
  learning and reflection in practice, which
  involves both multidisciplinary and
  organisational learning as well as that of
  individuals.
• Mathers N et al. Evaluation of European CPD
  Programme in Primary Care (LOTUS). Education for
  Primary Care. 18 (3) May 2007 . 328-337

10
Challenges

• Developing a framework of strategies to improve
  quality of care is heavily dependent on
  supportive management, skilled feedback and
  appraisal, and an established learning
  environment.
• King G. A Framework of personal and environmental
  learning based strategies to foster therapist
  expertise. Learning in Health and Social Care
  2009 8(3) 185-99