Clinical Teachers and Their Role in Education - Essay Example

Conference Paper Name: Institution: Course: Instructor: Date of submission: Abstract Clinical teachers play an essential role in ensuring efficacy in the clinical education encouraging reflection, supporting learners, as well as offering regular and constructive feedback. It is important to ensure an early planning as well as integration of early as well as regular clinical experiences. Such chances ensure the acquisition of diagnostic and commendation skills as well as appropriate attitudes among the medical students in their undergraduate studies. The undergraduate nursing students’ experiences at the clinical setting ought to be documented because this will act as the means of monitoring their exposure quality as well as help in enhancing the appropriate interventions’ planning. The recent challenges experienced by the systems of healthcare demand for the need for the strategies of innovative teaching, for instance simulation, to address the clinical cases inadequacy at the site of teaching. The clinical teaching’s quality should be maintained via regular clinical teachers’ evaluation as well as other activities of teaching. Keywords Clinical teaching, early clinical experiences, undergraduate nursing students, clinical teaching environment Background Information The medical education’s essence is the clinical learning and there existence several factors that influences the clinical competence of the student and among them include the exposure of the student to a variety as well as a large volume of clinical experiences, self-directed learning, ensuring that the learning environment is supportive, as well as learning in realistic clinical setting (Alhaqwi & Taha, 2015). Organizing a good arena of learning in clinical setting is essential for nursing students because such a context offers an environment for much of their studies as well as training. The clinical studies’ quality greatly influences the studies’ quality as a whole. There exists a wide variation in the experiences of the students as well as their perception of their clinical studies’ quality (Lawal, Weaver, Bryan, & Lindo, 2016). Nursing profession is practical based, and consequently, clinical education is an important part of the curriculum of the undergraduate nursing. The nursing education’s quality is highly dependent on the clinical experience’s quality. It is important to ensure that the clinical placement for students is effective to ensure that they are applying theory to practice and such experiences are essential when it comes to the preparation of students transiting to workforce as independent as well as competent practitioners. Aim and intent The paper will aim at exploring the strategies and models of clinical facilitation in the light of the effective learning and teaching practices of the 21st Century. Among the questions to be answered include the following: What is the significance of clinical placement? What are some of the identifiable factors influencing the learning of students in clinical placement? What strategies can be used to ensure competence development among nursing students who are in placement? Significance of Clinical Placement Clinical placement offers a chance to students to ensure the observation of role models, develop their problem-solving abilities and skills, as well as have a reflection on what they hear, see, as well as do. In the process of practicing in clinical environment, it is essential for these students to ensure the integration of the theoretical content offered by the learning institutions with the nursing practice realities (Henderson, Paterson, & Schoonbeek, 2011). There exist numerous influences within the environment of clinical learning that can significantly hinder and limit the learner’s development (Predeaux D. et al. 2012). Clinical education takes place in unstructured, erratic, as well as overwhelming environment and this has the capacity to ensure the generation of the anxiety and vulnerability feelings in nursing students. There exist numerous facets that constitute the environment of clinical learning and the interaction between the students of nursing within as well as wit these elements greatly determines the quality as well as the experience of learning outcomes (Phaneuf, n. d). Identifiable factors One of the clinical placement’s influences is the encounter of the professional nurses by students either as a team or individually. The link existing between the nursing student and the staff is among the critical factors when it comes to the creation of positive environment of learning. Students recognize that the attribute and skills of nurse teacher, how they perceive them, as well as access to relevant opportunities of learning, is essential towards the achievement of positive outcomes of learning. Clinical education is among the most important part when it comes to the training of nurses (Roberts & Northern Territory University, 2013). This period is essential enough to allow us to scrutinize it various parts at a close range and make some conclusions that are essential to new instructors as well as to educators who are more experienced and are highly interested in these issues (Alhaqwi & Taha, 2015). Competency Development It is essential to thoroughly consider these issues since a competent approach is employed by the present program of nursing, and clinical teaching and practical training play a great role in the competency development in nursing students. Competency development calls for the development of interpersonal, psychomotor, technical and organizational skills, the capacity to make decisions, as well as the capacity to ensure the management of emotions (Nursing Times, 2014). The development of competencies is not only as a result of theoretical knowledge exposure, but also results from the moment’s heat, in a close contact with circumstances resembling the various encounters by the students at the course of their career. Therefore, careful preparation as well as expert preparation of training is essential. During the practical training, the instructor offers the student with the necessary support and at the same ensure the supervision of the student, ensuring that they are working independently as per his/her academic achievement level. Apart from that, it is the role of the supervisor to oversee the care quality offered by the student and is also responsible for the safety of the patients (Phaneuf, n. d). Instructional Approach of Preference Like other types of teaching, the basis of clinical teaching should be clearly identified approach adaptive to a certain reality. Medical colleges globally aim at graduating medical students who are competent and the only way to attain this is offering these students with reliable clinical experiences (Nursing Times, 2014). Early Clinical Experiences There has been the recognition of the significance of the early undergraduate nursing students’ early exposure to clinical experiences. Ensuring that the students are provided with early as well as extensive experiences at the course of their training is essential and there has been an introduction of longitudinal clinical experiences’ integration within the curriculum (Phaneuf, n. d). According to studies, early practical experiences attract numerous benefits including the development of right attitude of nursing students toward the patients as well as their families. Apart from that, early experiences ensure that the students become confident as well as motivated. These experiences are also essential in ensuring that the students are acquiring professional identity. In addition, the experiences help in ensuring that the students are familiarizing themselves with clinical setting as well as reducing the stress when enrolling for clerkship (Predeaux D. et al. 2012). Clinical Teaching Setting Clinical teaching can occur in various sites where patients are receiving medical care such as in inpatient wards within a specialized centers or hospitals, community and family practice centers, or ambulatory care setting. Recent changes witnessed in the disease pattern and medicine practice within the community has greatly contributed to a great development of the system of the healthcare delivery (Mampunge & Seekoe, 2014). The increased utilization of technology resulting into a reduction of the average hospital stays reduces the number of hospital in-patients as well as secondary care and this means that the medical students have less clinical opportunities. Being aware of issues that have effects on the nursing students’ learning process in clinical settings is important because it will help in gaining optimal benefits from the nursing education (Sibiya, & Sibiya, 2014). Clinical experience plays an essential role in the nursing education because it ensures the theoretical knowledge is being transformed into practice. The best way to ensure efficacy in clinical practice is by offering supportive clinical environment such as the clinical placement unit’s atmosphere as well as the relationship that the student shares with mentors and clinical staff superviso (Ó, L. P, 2015)r. A quasi-experimental study comprising that targeted 62 students from Australia found that elements such as good associations with the supervisors, good mentoring, as well as practice opportunity greatly influences the learning by students in the clinical setting. Students have also acknowledged that poor relationship existing between them and the clinical staff act as learning barriers in the clinical environment. Negative experiences within the clinical settings are a hindrance to learning and greatly impact the confidence as well as the attitudes of students unlike the positive ones (Lawal, Weaver, Bryan, & Lindo, 2016). Clinical learning Preparation Clinical learning and practical training necessitate serious planning by the student and the instructor. For the instructor, this entails ensuring that the student is provided with sufficient information about the technical, interpersonal, and scientific context to ensure that they are meeting the clinical experience’s demands. Preparing a nursing student involves communicating technical and scientific concepts as well as developing his/her professional commitment, ethics, and self-actualization (Koskinen, Salminen, Stolt, & Leino-Kilpi, 2015). Clinical Experience and Setting Orientation The best way to ensure that students are effective as well as comfortable in clinical setting is ensuring that they have a good introduction to the care unit where he/she will be carrying out the work (Henderson, Paterson, & Schoonbeek, 2011). By doing so, the nursing student will have less stress since she will have a gradual adaptation to the department’s general climate, the physical surroundings, and the staff. The orientation is essential in ensuring that the student is comfortable with the working environment. One of the best ways to ensure that the students are learning is the utilization of the nursing process but the completion of the process in most cases occurs following the provision of care. In addition, it is important to ensure that the student is provided with the activity schedule to ensure that he/she is having an appropriate response (Lyneham & Levett-Jones, 2016). Discussion Factors influencing student learning According to studies, most of the nursing students have reported that the support they receive from clinical staff as well as faculty influences their learning. Support from the staff of nursing in the clinical setting can motivate nursing students since they feel as being part of the team, thus assisting them when it comes to learning (Koskinen, Salminen, Stolt, & Leino-Kilpi, 2015). It is important for the clinical staff as well as educators to acknowledge that nursing students can only succeed in a setting where they have a feeling of being a member of the team as well as where they feel that they are receiving respect. The level of anxiety among the nursing students is usually high in case the environment does not support them as well as in case of inhibited learning (Mwale & Kalawa, 2016). Supportive environment is an essential facilitator of socialization process where anxiety becomes less, confidence rises, and learning becomes enhanced. Most of the nursing students prefer meeting reassuring clinical staffs as well as environment that is friendly. Apart from that, most of the nursing students are also likely to prefer a setting where they are offered a chance to provide care to real patients, ensure theory application to practice as well as available resources within the clinical area. Most of the studies have found that clinical setting greatly offer learning support to students mainly because clinical staffs act as a counselor, mentor, and a coach to the student pursuing nursing. Apart from that, nursing students within the clinical settings have highlighted that various factors including dedication as well as approachability of the clinical staffs greatly improves the learning experience (Lyneham & Levett-Jones, 2016). Globally, the demand to offer education to nurses in the environment of clinical practice is on rise. The settings of clinical practice that encourage learning and teaching during the care episodes is powerful when it comes to offering education to both nursing students as well as existing workforce of nursing. Nursing occur through the demonstration of good practice by nurses ensure the knowledge sharing via discussion and sharing, and ensure the sharing of feedback to students. Such an interaction can only take place when positive practices of leadership encourage openness and trust between the members of the staff (Bjørg, Leland, & Dale, 2013). Positive Role Models If the students have a feeling of not receiving support within their environment, for instance, in case they receive hostility treatment or being entirely ignored the lack interest in taking part in the communications that will enhance their learning as well as their overall goals of learning. The level of interest shown by nurses in the student’s learning needs as well as the essential roles that these nurses play in ensuring that the student is achieving their goals is essential for ensuring that the students are developing. A study done by Chapman and Orb (2013) looked at the various characteristics of ‘good’ nursing supervisor/teacher. Among the characteristics identified include encouraging, supportive, confident, friendly, approachable, available, resourceful, welcoming, and understanding. These findings are similar to the findings of a study carried out by Jackson and mannix (2012). It is important for the registered nurses to become conscious about the significances of negative remarks that are likely to negatively impact nursing. Registered nurses are important when it comes to the development of supportive environment of learning via their attitudes to teaching, students, as well as nursing (Predeaux D. et al. 2012). Positive Culture of the Ward According to Skaalvik, Normann, & Henriksen, (2011), the experiences of nursing students when they are conducting their clinical placement is greatly influenced by the ward’s prevailing culture. Students are likely to have a vulnerability feeling when they are faced with unfamiliar routines, patients, and staffs. A good atmosphere of the ward whereby the registered nurses perceive the students as having less experience is essential to ensure that the students are learning. If the nursing student feel welcomes, incorporated into the team of the ward, as well as appreciated, then the experience of the clinical learning is said to be a positive one (White, Jean, n. d.). Supporting the learning of the students Numerous strategies can be utilized to ensure that the students are feeling welcome and they include the following: Ensuring the orientation of students to the wards, individuals they will encounter and routines when they are carrying out their placement Making sure that the students are gaining access to the handover sheet and at the same time are offered tea as well as lunch breaks with other members of the team Ensuring the introduction of the nursing students to the other team members who are also part of providing care to the patient (Bjørg, Leland, & Dale, 2013). Conclusion/Implications The tradition process of conceptualizing the transfer of knowledge is via the gap of ‘theory-practice’. It is important to continue offering support to the nursing students who are in clinical setting and this is mainly through the mentors, nurse educators, as well as preceptors. It is clear that good role modeling mainly from the nurse educators as well as from the nursing staff positively influences competency accusation by the nursing student. It is important for nursing students to be efficient as well as competent in the process of conducting their clinical skills. Nevertheless, this is likely to be threatened in a case where students observe various qualified nurses practices. The nursing educators’ key elements who are working within a practice placement is to ensure they are interacting with clinical nurses as well as students, ensure the provision of evidence-based practice, as well as teaching clinical skills. it is essential for the supervisor to have experiences as this will go a long way to assisting students to gain psychomotor clinical skills, and this would ensure expertise development. This would in turn assist in the provision of evidence-based practice enhancing improvement in outcomes in the future nursing practice thus improving excellence within the health care. It is important to ensure that in future, the nurse educators should increase the visit frequency to the hospitals when nursing students are carrying out their clinical placement because will help in ensuring supervision of all the students thus enhancing their competence. Within the hospital, it is important to ensure the displaying of all the standards as well as the procedures to ensure the comprehension of the tools, thus helping in improving the quality of care. In principle psychomotor competence acquisition is essential because it assisting in improving the quality of care to the patients. Subsequently, patient care as well as safety can be compromised if the nursing students lack skills as well as competence. Nursing students should be willing to learn, and this is in addition to ensuring that the clinical environment is favorable to ensure that the students are practicing. References Alhaqwi, A, L., & Taha, W. S. (2015). Promoting excellence in teaching and learning in clinical education. Journal of Taibah University of Medical Sciences, Vol 10, Issue 1, P 97-101. Bjørg D, Leland, A, and Dale, J. N. (2013). “What Factors Facilitate Good Learning Experiences in Clinical Studies in Nursing: Bachelor Students’ Perceptions?” ISRN Nursing, vol. 2013, Article ID 628679, 7 pages, 2013. doi:10.1155/2013/628679 Henderson, B. J., Paterson, A., & Schoonbeek, S. (2011). A framework to develop a clinical learning culture in health facilities: ideas from literature. International Nursing Review, vol 1, issue 1, p. 1-18. Koskinen, S., Salminen, L., Stolt, M., & Leino-Kilpi, H. (March 01, 2015). The education received by nursing students regarding nursing older people: a scoping literature review. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 29, 1, 15-29. Lawal, J, Weaver, S, Bryan, V, & Lindo, L.M. (2016). Factors influencing clinical learning experience of nursing students at Caribbean School of Nursing. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice. Lyneham, J., & Levett-Jones, T. (March 01, 2016). Insights into Registered Nurses' professional values through the eyes of graduating students. Nurse Education in Practice, 17, 86-90. Mampunge, F., & Seekoe, E. (January 01, 2014). Experiences of final-year nursing students at a public college of nursing regarding their preparedness to become registered nurses : part 1 : contemporary issues in nursing. South African Journal of Higher Education, 28, 6, 1929-1942. Mwale and Kalawa. (2016). Factors affecting acquisition of psychomotor clinical skills by student nurses and midwifes in CHAM Nursing Colleges in Malawi: a qualitative exploratory study. BMC Nursing. Nursing Times. (2014). Enhancing support for nursing students in the clinical setting. Retrieved on 8th April 2017 from https://www.nursingtimes.net/ Ó, L. P. (November 01, 2015). Becoming a professional: What is the influence of registered nurses on nursing students' learning in the clinical environment?. Nurse Education in Practice, 15, 6, 450-456. Phaneuf, M. (n. d). learning and teaching in clinical setting. Predeaux D. et al. (2012). Clinical teaching: maintaining an education role for doctors in the new healthcare environment. Medical education, Vol 34, p. 820-826. Roberts, K. L., & Northern Territory Univ., Casuarina (Australia). (2013). Clinical Influences on Nurse-Academics' Instructional Planning Decisionsin the Implementation of Basic Nursing Curricula in Colleges of Advanced Education in New South Wales. Sibiya, N. E., & Sibiya, M. N. (2014). Work integrated learning experiences of primary health care post-basic nursing students in clinical settings : a university of technology context : part 1 : contemporary issues in nursing. South African Journal of Higher Education, 28, 6, 1943-1958. Skaalvik, M. W., Normann, H. K., & Henriksen, N. (2011). Clinical learning environment and supervision: experiences of Norwegian nursing students - a questionnaire survey. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 20, 2294-2304. White, Jean. (n.d.). Dyslexia in pre-registration nursing students : strategies for developing clinical competencies. (White, Jean. 2016. Dyslexia in pre-registration nursing students : strategies for developing clinical competencies. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. file .) Read More

Competency Development It is essential to thoroughly consider these issues since a competent approach is employed by the present program of nursing, and clinical teaching and practical training play a great role in the competency development in nursing students. Competency development calls for the development of interpersonal, psychomotor, technical and organizational skills, the capacity to make decisions, as well as the capacity to ensure the management of emotions (Nursing Times, 2014). The development of competencies is not only as a result of theoretical knowledge exposure, but also results from the moment’s heat, in a close contact with circumstances resembling the various encounters by the students at the course of their career.

Therefore, careful preparation as well as expert preparation of training is essential. During the practical training, the instructor offers the student with the necessary support and at the same ensure the supervision of the student, ensuring that they are working independently as per his/her academic achievement level. Apart from that, it is the role of the supervisor to oversee the care quality offered by the student and is also responsible for the safety of the patients (Phaneuf, n. d). Instructional Approach of Preference Like other types of teaching, the basis of clinical teaching should be clearly identified approach adaptive to a certain reality.

Medical colleges globally aim at graduating medical students who are competent and the only way to attain this is offering these students with reliable clinical experiences (Nursing Times, 2014). Early Clinical Experiences There has been the recognition of the significance of the early undergraduate nursing students’ early exposure to clinical experiences. Ensuring that the students are provided with early as well as extensive experiences at the course of their training is essential and there has been an introduction of longitudinal clinical experiences’ integration within the curriculum (Phaneuf, n. d). According to studies, early practical experiences attract numerous benefits including the development of right attitude of nursing students toward the patients as well as their families.

Apart from that, early experiences ensure that the students become confident as well as motivated. These experiences are also essential in ensuring that the students are acquiring professional identity. In addition, the experiences help in ensuring that the students are familiarizing themselves with clinical setting as well as reducing the stress when enrolling for clerkship (Predeaux D. et al. 2012). Clinical Teaching Setting Clinical teaching can occur in various sites where patients are receiving medical care such as in inpatient wards within a specialized centers or hospitals, community and family practice centers, or ambulatory care setting.

Recent changes witnessed in the disease pattern and medicine practice within the community has greatly contributed to a great development of the system of the healthcare delivery (Mampunge & Seekoe, 2014). The increased utilization of technology resulting into a reduction of the average hospital stays reduces the number of hospital in-patients as well as secondary care and this means that the medical students have less clinical opportunities. Being aware of issues that have effects on the nursing students’ learning process in clinical settings is important because it will help in gaining optimal benefits from the nursing education (Sibiya, & Sibiya, 2014).

Clinical experience plays an essential role in the nursing education because it ensures the theoretical knowledge is being transformed into practice. The best way to ensure efficacy in clinical practice is by offering supportive clinical environment such as the clinical placement unit’s atmosphere as well as the relationship that the student shares with mentors and clinical staff superviso (Ó, L. P, 2015)r. A quasi-experimental study comprising that targeted 62 students from Australia found that elements such as good associations with the supervisors, good mentoring, as well as practice opportunity greatly influences the learning by students in the clinical setting.

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