Health Assessment Teaching Practicum

Teaching Practicum

Student Name

Institutional Affiliation

Subject: Education

Instructor:

September 15, 2013

Health Assessment Teaching Practicum

Nursing Practicum

Abstract

One of the key teaching motivators is that teaching offers an opportunity to influence student’s success and transform nursing profession. However, the role of faculty is greater than merely teaching, as a trainee nurse educator it is necessary to have an opportunity, which will offer the experience for the teaching-learning process and acquire academic education culture exposure. This practicum paper offers an academic learning opportunity with a master’s prepared nurse educator at the University, to develop and engage the skills and knowledge to fulfill the roles and demands of an academic nurse educator. The practicum proposal also presents the practicum objectives alongside the supporting timeline and activities to offer guidance and focus for a successful experience.

Keywords: Evaluation, periopertive education, nursing educator

Introduction

The aim of this paper is to provide a scholarly practicum paper exploring an academic opportunity, which will enable me to grow professionally to become a novice nurse educator. Such an experience would enable me to involve in teaching-learning course of action in different learning environment with the guidance and assistance of a master’s prepared nurse educator. To give focus for my professional learning and development, competency-based objectives, supported by a timeline and activities have been designed and are incorporated in this proposal. The skills lab and nursing program classrooms will serve as the focal learning environment for the practicum experience. A part from academic environment, I will also work hand in hand with my preceptor to design a preoperative nursing curriculum for nursing students choosing to undertake clinical time during the resident intensive summer experience at Agakhan Medical Center. To help in monitoring and assessment of the completion and success of my practicum, evaluations have been designed and are also included in this practicum.

Teaching-Learning Settings

McArthur-Rouse (2008) states that faculty is supposed to establish a teaching-learning environment, which is consistent with fulfilling clinical and academic rotation objectives. The lab skills and classroom didactic experience will take place within the campus. The didactic program will be carried out in a traditional classroom environment attended by 20 nursing students (beginner-level). The skills lab will be conducted in one of the two rooms particularly designed with care cubicles for six patients. All the cubicles are equipped with supplies and equipment for patient care such as oxygen flow meter, suction, otoscope, blood pressure cuff, and hospital bed.

The University is a four-year public learning institution, which embraces the importance of “doing” as key to every learner’s professional, personal and educational growth. The leaders of the faculty within the campus cover more than 100 study areas that emphasize on the research development and service learning, which integrates course curriculum with the present societal concerns.

The periopertaive clinical rotation, student’s leaning will be conducted in a multiple learning environments for instance in clinical site, simulation lab and classroom. Even though all these three settings are different is resources and space, they be carried out at Agakhan Medical Center. The Agakhan Medical Center is a 550-bed teaching facility, which comprises of 30 operating theater rooms.

The perioperative unit offers patient care as required 24/7, with 130 nurses who care for about 45-surgical scheduled patients from Monday to Friday and emergencies as well as during the weekend.

The periopertive unit has three phases, (pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative) and it will offer a great opportunity for the nursing students to learn and engage on how imperative collaboration, teamwork, safety, and quality during the patient care invasive procedures. A part from the clinical environment, the classroom environment and clinical lab at the Agakhan Medical Center will provide the nursing students with the resources and space such as equipment, computer access and literature to have a hands-on opportunity and knowledge to equip their skills on perioperative nursing.

Objectives

According to Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (2010), new nurse educators getting into new responsibilities usually find out that they not properly prepared. Being an expert or experienced nurse is not enough to assume the new role of a nurse teacher/educator. To effectively transition into educator role, experienced nurses must be prepared with the essential competencies and qualifications established by the National League for Nursing. Utilizing these fundamental academic preparation and competencies enhance the ability of nurse educator to transition nursing students to registered practicing nurses prepared to offer high-quality patient care as the report requested (Pape, 2007).

So as to adequately prepare for the nurse educator specialty role, the following objectives presented below have been established to accomplish the expectations of completing and engaging a practicum experience. According to McArthur-Rouse (2008), nurse educators are dynamically involved in a number of functions and roles each of which reflects academic nurse educator’s core competencies.

Objective 1: To assist in the design and assessment of nurse student’s techniques in history taking, interviewing, physical examination and family system of a patient.

Nurse educators must assist in the development and assessment of the nurse student’s skills in history taking, interviewing, physical examinations and family systems of a patient through utilizing different teaching strategies and engaging in continuous life learning to improve teaching skills and knowledge that enhances students’ techniques in those specified areas. To principle behind this objective is to engage, along with my mentor in the learning and teaching process, whilst developing an in depth understanding on how various content delivery techniques and teaching strategies are deployed to develop nursing student techniques and reflect future and current nursing practices. Nurse educators should be future-oriented so as to anticipate the future nurse student’s techniques in history taking, interviewing, physical examination and family system of a patient and adopt teaching strategies and curriculum in response to ongoing changes and nursing science innovations within the practice environment.

Objective 2: To apply teaching-learning strategies and theories with the understanding of the nursing faculty role to the health evaluation exercise in the course of RISE (Resident Intensive Summer Experience). The aim of this objective is to deploy teaching-learning strategies and theories that will reflect the anticipated teaching-learning outcomes for the nursing students selecting to accomplish a clinical rotation in the RISE. The nurse educator learning-teaching skill in the development of curriculum is imperative and entails understanding what content is critical for the current nursing practice and making sure that the clinical experience and classroom content are tied directly and complement each other (Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, 2010).Preceptor Bell Libby, RN, MSN, Lecturer II will be my preceptor for this practicum. Bell acquired her BSN (Bachelor of Nursing Degree) from the University of Wayne in 2002 and came back to the University to acquire her Nursing Science Masters from University of Oakland in 2006. Bell accepted her position as a clinical instructor with the University in 2008. In her role of a clinical instructor, she has instructed a number of RISE clinical rotations from critical care sessions, medical-surgical rotations and community settings. Currently, Bell continues to work as a clinical instructor, other than has accepted adjunct instructor position. In the position of adjunct instructor, Bell is responsible for lab instruction and class didactic for the Nursing 201 (introduction to nursing).Being my preceptor, Bell will help me achieve my practicum objectives based on her capability to engage in several roles of academic nurse educator. By engaging as a learning facilitator, Bell will direct my opportunities to develop student skill and knowledge through implementing teaching strategies and educational theories, while helping me establish a mutually respectful working relation with faculty colleagues and students. She will also act as role model, shaping the behaviors and values expected of the nursing professional accomplishing the role of academic nurse educator. Pape (2007), states that academic nurse educator is a catalyst for socialization and learner development through engaging in guidance planning and effective counseling that will help learners to meet their professional goals.

My Role

In the course of this practicum experience my role would be a novice educator. Since I have limited experience as an academic educator, of consisting of only very minimal student interaction and observation. The transition to academic setting from clinical practice will require, from me establishing skills and knowledge for teacher-student interaction and teaching-learning process. According to Penn, Wilson, & Rosseter (2008) the novice-expert theory argues that the novice nurse or practitioner has narrow experience with the opportunities upon which they are to function. The faculty role far beyond simply teaching and the novice educator can find it devastating to outline how to teach and what to teach. Therefore, it is critical for novice teachers not only to learn the communication and interpersonal skills but also the curriculum development skills, which entails establishing what a given level of nurse student should know, deciding between “need-to-know” and “nice-to-know” content and compressively organizing information to assess student learning.

Timeline and Activities

In order to maintain and monitor progress toward fulfilling the scholarly nursing practicum experience completion deadline of December 3, 2013, the practicum planning guide provides a high level timeliness overview of the associated activities required to accomplish the practicum objectives as outlined in Appendix 1. Other activities will center on reviewing and gathering literature to develop my teaching strategies knowledge that encourage student-centered learning and handle various learning styles. Once research and literature materials have been gathered and assessed, an annotated bibliography would be organized and complied and discussed with preceptor by October, 30 2013. Some activities would be engagement in the teaching-learning setting to practice skilled written, oral and electronic communication with students and faculty. This will be an ongoing activity during the full fall semester closing on December 5, 2013.

Evaluation

According to Penn, Wilson, & Rosseter (2008) evaluation is the procedure of gathering and interpreting data to determine aspects of success and aspects that need improvements. McArthur-Rouse (2008), states that part of the role of nurse educator is to deploy different strategies to evaluate and assess program outcomes and student learning. Nurse educators are responsible for teaching quality offered to students, outcomes attained, and educational programs overall effectiveness. A preceptor-leaner assessment tool will be developed as an official form to document feedback and communication related to attainment of the outlined practicum objectives. Pape (2007) notes that feedback is the practice of comparing outlined objectives with present progress toward attaining the overall identified objectives. The feedback offers an opportunity to establish modifications in activities so as to successfully progress with the project. S.M.A.R.T objectives (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) can be realized. Therefore, objectives designed in format of SMART come out as short-term objectives that comprise focus, learning, performance and assessment or evaluation, which gives clearly outlined goals to be fulfilled through established activities within the designated timeframe. The preceptor-learner assessment form outlines measurement expectations and practicum objectives for the rationale of examining the progress of objectives.

Preceptor-Learner Performance Assessment form

Preceptor-Learner Practicum Experience Evaluation Form

Preceptor: Bell Libby

Student: Your Name

Objective 1. To assist in the design and assessment of nurse student’s techniques in history taking, interviewing, physical examination and family system of a patient.

This objective will be carried out throughout the whole RISE

Objective Accomplished Objectives requires improvement Objective is below the expectations Remarks

Student appraisal Preceptor appraisal Additional Feedback

Preceptor-Learner Practicum Experience Evaluation Form

Preceptor: Bell Libby

Student: Your Name

Objective 1. To apply teaching-learning strategies and theories with the understanding of the nursing faculty role to the health evaluation exercise in the course of RISE (Resident Intensive Summer Experience).

Objective Accomplished Objectives requires improvement Objective is below the expectations Remarks

Student appraisal Preceptor appraisal Additional Feedback

Through the utilization of the SMART objective assessment form, both the student and preceptor will document and determine if the outlined objective, has is below the expectation, accomplished the expectation or requires improvement. The student and preceptor comments will also needed to be incorporated explaining how the objective was attained or the reason/s why the objective was not fulfilled, alongside a documented recovery strategy for accomplishing the outlined objective.

So as to gather end recipients (nursing students) attitudes associated with the value of clinical teaching content and delivery method, a 5-point qualitative Likert scale assessment tool, below will be deployed for collecting data. According to Pape (2007) likert scale is a straightforward numerical scale which allocates numerical ratings to a given response and is employed to appraise the extent to which an individual’s opinion or attitude meets or does not meet a specific criterion. Likert scales are used in evaluation surveys to determine the degree upon which a respondent typically agree or disagrees with a given statement. The likert assessment questions would be offered to the RISE nursing students on completion of the exercise. Collective feedback would give the information for education and content improvement. At the end of the clinical rotation and education a collective report would be submitted to the project preceptor for review and evaluation as shown below.

Appraisal form to capture the feedback of the nursing student

The findings will be reported anonymously

Put an X corresponding to the heading which indicates your opinion on the below questions

Strongly agree

(5) Agree

(4) Undecided

(3) Dis-agree

(2) Strongly

Disagree

(1)

My preceptor helped me to establish and seek learning opportunities My preceptor made me be at ease to learn If believe that the clinical experience/information will assist my future nursing practice The curriculum material equipped me for direct patient care The clinical material was developed and in logical manner Feedback/ Additional Comment

Conclusion

Nurse educators certainly play a critical role in improving the nursing profession. Ensuring quality educational experience, which prepare upcoming nurses for their work setting is an enormous task, however with the correct mentor and endeavors to accomplish the core competencies for nurse educators; one can learn innovative and effective teaching strategies whereas developing positive learning environment.

The aim of this paper is to offer the goal of my practicum experience objectives, educational settings and timeline in attaining my overall aim in establishing my professional growth within different nurse educator roles. This scholarly proposal also details my practicum preceptor and incorporates different evaluation plans that would be deployed to assess the progress and accomplishment of the practicum experience.

References

McArthur-Rouse, F. J. (2008). From expert to novice: An exploration of the experience

of new academic staff to a department of adult nursing studies. Nursing Education

Today, 28, 401-408.

Pape, T. (2007). Creating an inviting perioperative learning experience. Association of

PeriOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Journal 85(2), 354-366

Penn, B. K., Wilson, L. D., & Rosseter, R. (2008). Transitioning from nursing practice to a

teaching role. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. (13) 3. doi:

10.3912/OJIN.Vol13No03Man03.

Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (2010), The value of clinical learning activities

in the perioperative setting in undergraduate nursing curricula (guidance statement).

Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices. pp. 755-756. Denver, CO: AORN Inc.