Edinburgh Napier University

  The East of Scotland Haematology Nurses Group (ESHNG)in their dedication to the provision of Continuous Professional Development(CPD)of Scottish haematology nurses, who often work in isolation across the country, with little opportunity to network and share practice, have embraced technology to enhance their repertoire of education delivery. The Group embraced one of the key themes, in an evaluation of students participation in an virtual classroom within the Therapeutic Options in Malignant Haematology Module run at Edinburgh Napier University(Campbell 2009);the ESHNG were interested in the potential use of virtual classroom facility in provision of CPD for all haematology nurses across Britain. The ESHNG were successful in obtaining funding from Macmillan Cancer Support to provide sessions every month, for a year, facilitated by an experienced operator, for fifty nurses over the internet. There would also be a chance to conduct either case presentations or journal clubs once a month in small group sessions. The intention was to meet the learning needs of the participants by the use the virtual classroom to critically engage with current practices in malignant haematology, with a diverse network of colleagues, building a learning community. As this project is in its infancy, this presentation would share the experience of building a CPD initiative outwith the confines of a educational or healthcare institution by exploring the digital stewarding of a CPD website including looking at technological, pedagogy, copyright, intellectual property, and financial issues.

Campbell K.E, (2009) An evaluation of using E Learning to support Haematology nurse education Bone Marrow Transplantation 43 (S 1) N 1079 pp S322.