Increasing Number of Universities Using myCAD
The number of Universities and Technological Colleges using myCAD, the only digital version of the National Competency Assessment Document for Nursing, is steadily increasing.
Munster Technological University (MTU) piloted myCAD with all their first year Nursing students in March. The implementation was so successful that in two weeks’ time all third year students will also be using the site. During the planning phase, Company Chair Chris Peat visited Bantry Bay Hospital where he was able to demonstrate, even in this remote location, how easy it was for all users to use the devices available on the site to access myCAD.
Simplifying The Process for Preceptors
To manage this expansion, Axia Digital (Ireland) has now added functionality which enables Preceptors to use one username and password to login to each University’s myCAD site. This allows them to easily assess students from multiple universities. myCAD.ie is able to present to the Preceptor the nurses’ portfolios listed under each University, whilst still ensuring that the Preceptor’s assessments are only seen by the correct institution.
The need for such functionality immediately became apparent at a recent series of meetings, organised to launch the ATU (Mayo) version of myCAD, when a Preceptor revealed that she had already assessed a nursing student from ATU Donegal using myCAD. She was relieved to hear that she would not need to create another account to assess ATU students from Mayo.
At the well-attended meetings at ATU Mayo at Castlebar all the Tutors; Community Placement Co-ordinators, Placement Team members and Preceptors expressed their willingness to embrace a digital approach, recognising this is the sort of experience that their students would now expect. The team there, with the support of members of Axia Digital (Ireland), are now working their way through the same Action Plan that had led to the successful implementation at MTU.