Dragons' Den-style exercise gives nursing students the skills to shape future health services

Pre-registration nursing students underwent a simulated exercise in health needs analysis and commissioning of services. Service commissioners consistently request presentation for re-tendering of services so the students had to pitch ideas along the lines of the 'Dragons' Den' television programme.

Exposing nursing students to simulated learning based on the health of a community will equip them with the skills to shape future health services and focus on health prevention.

Writing in Primary Health Care journal, the authors describe how one university puts pre-registration nursing students through a simulation exercise.

Students assess the health needs of a specific geographical area, present their findings about its healthcare needs and pitch for virtual funding to set up services to meet those needs in a 'Dragons' Den'-style environment called the 'Commissioning Cauldron'.

As a result, students are given exposure to commissioning processes and the wider health needs of a population.

The authors conclude that nurses will increasingly play a role in developing and shaping community health and social care services, with a major focus on health prevention.

This type of learning exercise gives them the skills and confidence to address these issues when they go out into practice as fully qualified nurses, the authors state.