To identify characteristics and teaching techniques of effective clinical instructors that can be utilized or implemented to improve the student nurse clinical experience. Background: The clinical instructor is an integral part of a quality clinical experience. They help students transfer didactic information to the practice setting. The clinical nursing experience is a vital component in the developmental process of the nursing student. Research has been done on this subject, but gaps remain. The need for a more in-depth understanding of students' perceptions of the characteristics and teaching techniques that best aid their comprehension and learning will help instructors to maximize student learning experiences in the practice setting. Method: This qualitative research study utilized the phenomenological research method. Three open-ended questions were posed to 14 nursing students to identify the characteristics and teaching techniques they believed comprised an effective clinical instructor. Individual interviews were conducted and transcribed interviews were reviewed to identify common themes. Three faculty members provided member checking to prevent bias by reviewing the transcribed interviews for common themes. Findings: Participants identified four main themes which include a trusting relationship, experience or knowledge, coach, and role model. The students found that they gained more knowledge, developed more critical thinking, and felt more confident with instructors who utilized characteristics and techniques from these four areas. Conclusion: Clinical instructors play an important role in preparing the student nurse in becoming a competent nurse in the practice setting. This information can be used to provide a foundation in creating an educational opportunity to inform nurse educators in the ways to become a more effective clinical instructor.
BackgroundOne in three people over the age of 65 fall every year, with 1/3 sustaining at least moderate injury. Falls risk reduction requires an interprofessional health team approach. The literature is lacking in effective models to teach students how to work collaboratively in interprofessional teams for geriatric falls prevention. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development, administration and outcome measures of an education programme to teach principles of interprofessional care for older adults in the context of falls prevention.MethodsStudents from three academic institutions representing 12 health disciplines took part in the education programme over 18 months (n=237). A mixed method one-group pretest and post-test experimental design was implemented to measure the impact of a multistep education model on progression in interprofessional collaboration competencies and satisfaction.ResultsPaired t-tests of pre-education to posteducation measures of Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale scores (n=136) demonstrated statistically significant increase in subscales and total scores (p<0.001). Qualitative satisfaction results were strongly positive.DiscussionResults of this study indicate that active interprofessional education can result in positive student attitude regarding interprofessional team-based care, and satisfaction with learning. Lessons learnt in a rapid cycle plan-do-study-act approach are shared to guide replication efforts for other educators.ConclusionEffective models to teach falls prevention interventions and interprofessional practice are not yet established. This education model is easily replicable and can be used to teach interprofessional teamwork competency skills in falls and other geriatric syndromes.
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