Learning in Nursing - Methods Used to Assess the Learner - Essay Example

?Assessment of Learning in Nursing Assessment-01: Assessment of learning needs Q-1a. Describe one method that you used to assess the learner for thisarea of learning and its purpose. In order to assess learning needs, I used an informal conversation. I worked out casual conversations with the learner, asking her about her activities, what she found difficult, what she found easy and similar questions. While making casual conversations, I also slipped in some questions on what the learner felt were her learning needs. When the learner would open up about these learning needs, I then asked her some other questions in relation to these needs. Q-1b. Comment on whether this was a reliable and valid assessment; explain reasons for your answer. I feel like this is a reliable and valid assessment because it was an assessment carried out in a non-threatening and informal manner. Under this setting, there is a greater chance for the learner to open up and be honest about her feelings, thoughts, difficulties, and learning needs. I also believe this to be a reliable and valid assessment because it makes use of open-ended questions and these questions help the learners be less restricted by set questions and choices. They can even make their own reflection and self-assessment based on the questions posed and provide a heart-felt and thoughtful response to the questions. Q-1c. Think of another method of assessment used by you or your colleague to assess your learner relating to the same area of learning. Compare the two assessment methods and outcomes, and describe how these methods complemented and/or contradicted each other. Explain how you resolved any contradictions. Structured interviews were also used by me and my colleague in assessing the learner in the same area of learning. In comparing these two assessment methods, there is significant contrast seen. One uses open-ended questions, and structured interviews uses close-ended questions. The open-ended questions give more room for responses, allowing the learner to use his own words to describe his experience and his learning needs. The close-ended questions provide choices to the learner, providing labels on what he is feeling and on what his learning needs are. The informal interviews are also carried out in a more casual setting and manner, without any expectation of their results being used as a method of assessment on the part of the learner. In the structured interviews, it is carried out in a less casual manner with the learner most likely seated on a table answering structured questions. The learner is also aware in this case that he or she is being interviewed for an assessment of his learning needs. For the most part, these two methods complemented each other. The informal interview provided a basis for the assessment of the learning needs, and the structured interview helped to fill in the blanks and gaps seen in the informal interview. Both methods of assessment provided means of confirming the learner’s patient needs. In effect, what may not have been revealed in one interview has been revealed in the other type of assessment. Assessment-2. Feedback:-Think about sessions when you gave positive and more critical feedback to your learner(s). Q-2a. Compare and contrast your experience of giving positive feedback to learner(s) (i) formally, in one-to-one sessions; and (ii) informally, when working together. Use examples to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each method. In giving positive feedback formally, the learner was wary at first because she thought that she was going to be reprimanded. However, when she received the positive feedback, she was very much pleased. She also was pleased about being singled out for the positive feedback. She was also eager to talk about the good work that she was able to do and was eager to receive more feedback on how she could improve her work further. In the informal setting, any positive feedback I gave the learner was also well received, especially when I complemented her in front of the other employees. There was no feeling of initial foreboding on her part when I called her attention and later gave the positive feedback. And she also liked discussing her favorable actions in a more informal setting. For example, during the informal feedback, she asked me to specify exactly what she did which was good so that she could repeat it and improve on it further. The formal feedback process can sometimes make the learner very much uncomfortable because the learner may expect negative news to be delivered during these times. Either set-up whether formal or informal however I found can work well in providing positive feedback. Q-2b. Compare and contrast your experience of giving more critical feedback to learners (i) formally, in one-to-one sessions; and (ii) informally, when working together. Use examples to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each method. At times when I gave formal feedback in one-to-one sessions with the learner, I felt that the learner was a bit defensive and she wanted to justify her actions during these sessions. She also perceived the feedback as criticism and it made her a bit mutinous. She felt like she was being put on the spot with the formal feedback and was not receptive to the fact that the feedback was part of constructive criticism. In the informal feedback, the learner was more receptive and less defensive. She could even jokingly receive the feedback and laugh at her mistakes. The informal nature of the feedback also made it easier for me to deliver the feedback because it came out as casual and inviting, not formal and foreboding. There was however the risk of the informal feedback not being taken seriously because when I issued the informal feedback, the learner sometimes did not take it seriously; but she took the formal feedback to heart and was careful to make improvements in her practice. Nevertheless, the informal process was a less threatening means of providing feedback because it was a more open set-up and the learner was more receptive to some of the negative feedback I was expressing. It was also easier to slip in suggestions on improvements which she could work in to her practice. She was pleased with the suggestions, and did not see this as threats to her ego and her feelings. Assessment-3. Overall performance as mentor: - Consider the five ‘qualities of mentors’ that your group brainstormed during the day 1 lecture session. (The five qualities of mentors are:-01.Approachable, 02.Knowledgeable, 03.Patience, 04.Time management, 05.Good listener and good communicator). Q-3a. Pick one of these qualities and describe, illustrate and explain the extent to which you were able to demonstrate that quality as mentor, and the extent to which you fell short. I am a very patient mentor. I am patient in the sense that I take the time to teach my learners and to carefully instruct them on what they should and should not do in the clinical practice setting. I was able to teach the learner how to patiently monitor the patient in the post-surgery recovery unit. In times when the learner could not follow the initial instructions, I patiently repeated these to her satisfaction. At times when I was already tired during the shift and my learners asked for my help and my guidance, I mustered enough energy to patiently assist them in carrying out their activities. I also participated and volunteered for additional sessions with the learners when they needed more guidance and assistance in their tasks. I took my time in teaching my learners every procedure without rushing through the instructions and until such time when I was clearly understood by the learners. At times I believed I failed in this regard when after long shifts and she would ask some questions. These times, I would often impatiently answer back. Q-3b. Pick another of those qualities and describe, illustrate and explain the extent to which you were able to demonstrate that quality as mentor, and the extent to which you fell short. I was also a good listener and communicator. As a good listener, I listened intently to the learner. I gave her my full attention and made eye contact with her. I did not interrupt her when she was speaking and I made the appropriate signs that I was listening to her (nodding and facial expressions). I also noted her non-verbal gestures, seeing if she represented the correct gestures to match her words. At times, when asked if she understood the instructions, she would say yes, but she would look unsure of herself. During these times, I would call her attention and repeat the instructions and ask her gently if she had any questions for me. I considered myself a good communicator by making sure that I gave clear instructions. I spoke clearly and in a well-modulated voice. I spoke directly to my learner and made sure that I am clear in my instructions before I move on to other instructions. There were times however when I was not a good listener and these were usually times when we had multiple patients in the unit. At these times, I had insufficient time to listen to my learner’s concerns and I sometimes was not able to give clear and comprehensible instructions. I also usually spoke fast during these busy times and was less concerned about what the learner was saying or doing. Assessment-4. Using research to inform practice: - Please read the attached research paper. Think about your own experience of the topic being researched and reported in that paper. Q-4a. Give a complete reference for the paper. Deltsidou, A. 2008, Undergraduate nursing students’ level of assertiveness in Greece: A questionnaire survey, Nurse Educ Pract., vol. 9(5): pp. 322-30. Q-4b. Compare and contrast your experience with that described in the paper. My experience with my learners was that there was no bullying in our workplace. We did not bully our learners and we tried our best to help them in applying their academic learning into the actual practice. We did not bully them when they did not know what they were doing and we did not overly reprimand them for their actions. We did our best to make the atmosphere in our unit welcoming and open – less stressed and friendly. We were aware of the fact that we were all student nurses and newly-graduated nurses once and it was our responsibility to make the nursing profession non-threatening and welcoming. The paper speaks of bullying in the workplace and how improved confidence levels among students usually advances as students also advance in their learning. I noted in our unit that as learners advanced in their learning, that their confidence also grew and they were less vulnerable to bullying and they were more confident in speaking their mind, in asking questions, and expressing their opinions. Q-4c. How do you interpret and explain the similarities and differences, between the paper and your practice as identified in 4b? I would interpret and explain the similarities and differences between the paper and my practice with the understanding that the workplace can be a stressful environment and for the learner and the practitioner, the attitude that the mentor can exemplify to the learner can make a difference in the learner’s adjustment into the practice. Moreover, an open and friendly environment can also make help learners relax and experience less stress in their practice. This was seen in our unit and was also seen in the study cited. Less bullying in the workplace meant less stress and a more open communication and approachable attitude among the well-experienced nurses impacted on the general adjustment process for new nurses and students. As I also gained more experience in the practice, I also learned to be more assertive and this was manifested in the Greek study as well. I noted how learners were able to adjust as they gained experience, this is the same also in the Greek study. This was also more or less the same in my practice because I noted that with each daily experience and learning, my learners gained more confidence and were more assertive in their activities and their opinions. This also made them less vulnerable to bullying and other aggressive behavior from other nurses. Read More