Protocol club: a social learning framework for the research delivery workforce.

Background: 'Protocol club' is a learning activity underpinned by social learning theory that is designed 'by the research delivery workforce, for the research delivery workforce'. A protocol club meets regularly to critique the feasibility and deliverability of publicly available study protocols.

Aim: To describe a proof-of-concept protocol club aimed at addressing the training needs of a research delivery workforce at two NHS England trusts.

Competence perceptions of veterinary nursing students and registered veterinary nurses in Ireland: a mixed methods explanatory study.

Background: Veterinary regulators require veterinary nursing students to demonstrate clinical competence prior to registration and practice as a veterinary nurse. However, in common with other medical professions, there is no one broadly accepted definition of competence. Studies in nursing have revealed that practicing nurses may view newly qualified colleagues as lacking competence, leading to disillusionment with nursing training programmes.

Evaluation of a coaching workshop for the management of veterinary nursing students' OSCE-associated test anxiety.

Background: High stress levels amongst undergraduates (particularly in relation to assessment) and efforts to improve mental wellbeing have been increasingly reported in the veterinary educational literature. However reports to date have primarily focused on the experiences of students of veterinary medicine, rather than veterinary nursing students.

Methods: The purpose of this mixed method sequential explanatory study was to establish the "Big-five" personality traits and quantify the level of test anxiety associated with objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) amongst a cohort of 23 final year veterinary nursing students at an Irish third level college.

Motivation and Prior Animal Experience of Newly Enrolled Veterinary Nursing Students at two Irish Third-Level Institutions.

Veterinary nurses report an intrinsic desire to work with animals. However, this motivation may be eroded by poor working conditions and low pay, resulting in the exit of experienced veterinary nurses from clinical practice. This study sought to quantify the level of animal-handling experience students possessed at the start of their training and to explore the factors motivating them to enter veterinary nurse training in two Irish third-level institutions.