FINE 2

Practical Skills follows the FINE 1 Foundation Course, bridging the gap between theory and practice in infant and family centred developmental care.

Who is the course for
This practice-based course develops competent and influential practitioners and is suitable for medical, nursing and allied healthcare professionals. It is essential for anyone with a leadership role in infant and family-centred developmental care. Applicants must be affiliated with a neonatal unit and need 6 months to consolidate their learning after the FINE 1 foundational course before applying for FINE 2. There is a selection process to ensure that candidates have the necessary background experience, literacy and computer skills, and management support.

Curriculum
FINE 2 is a practice-based course that nurtures student learning through careful observations complemented by structured reflection.

The course is built around 10 topics that are completed over 6 months. Approximately 65 hours of study time are required to complete infant observations, site assessments, written reflections, and online tutorials.

Topics are grouped in two parts. Part I uses structured observations in the neonatal unit to understand how infants communicate. Part 2 takes a more analytical approach to explore how observation enhances practice. Throughout the course tools for evaluating practice are introduced. Collaborative partnerships with colleagues and parents are built on active listening skills and coaching strategies.

Reflective writing serves as a transformative tool that fosters critical thinking and raises self-awareness. Students are encouraged to introspectively examine their experiences with infants and families. This can help to build the resilience needed to cope with the emotional burden of work in newborn care.

Faculty
Mentors for FINE 2 are experienced practitioners with advanced training in neurobehavioural observation and infant development.

Impact
A strategic advantage of FINE 2 is that change happens through the influence of good practice and confident advocacy. It cultivates skills crucial for future proficiency.

What students say
“The course is beautiful and thought-provoking. From the final meeting, listening to the other students I can tell the course develops and enriches a particularly special type of practitioner who is desperate to nurture babies in their care. The work is hard and consuming…, but the outlook I now have is invaluable. Thank you to my mentor and the whole team.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the course and how it has made me change my practice. Having been working with neonates for a long time it has inspired me to totally re-evaluate the way I individualise each baby and family.”

“This course is worth every minute spent learning, it is invaluable to all nurses delivering care to infants and their families. I hope I can inspire others the way I have been inspired.”

The below video shows two doctors discussing their experience of FINE 2 and the impact it has had on their practice.