Pictured: ECU Virginie Cart, UDRH SW Staff Karyn Hetherington and Fiona Black
Last month, the UDRH SW Nursing and Midwifery team visited Nannup Hospital and Warren Health Service to connect with local nursing teams and strengthen support for rural clinical placements. The visits formed part of an ongoing collaboration between Edith Cowan University’s Department of Rural Health South West (UDRH SW) and the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SN&M). With a shared focus on ensuring rural nursing supervisors and preceptors are well supported in their critical teaching roles.
Led by Karyn Hetherington and Fiona Black (UDRH SW), alongside Virginie Cart (SN&M), the sessions reinforced the strong connection between academic preparation and clinical practice. The discussions highlighted the importance of supporting supervisors and preceptors, recognising that well-supported educators play a key role in student confidence, learning, and success on placement.
The sessions focused on practical strategies for managing clinical placements, including the early identification of student learning or professional challenges to enable timely intervention. Clear communication pathways between health services and the University were reaffirmed, and the Nursing Standards of Practice were promoted as a valuable framework for providing consistent, objective and professional feedback on student performance and conduct.
A key theme of the visit was a shift from traditional “shadowing” models toward an approach that empowers students in practice. Preceptors were encouraged to support students to gradually manage their own patient workloads and to adapt supervisory styles to suit individual learning needs. Staff were also reminded of the UDRH SW student support in the region, which provides one hour of dedicated weekly local support for students, an important resource particularly for placements supported through remote facilitation.
Through continued collaboration with health services and university partners, UDRH SW remains committed to strengthening rural nursing education and supporting the workforce that underpins high-quality healthcare in the South West.
