Simulation-Based Learning in Nurse Education - Essay Example

Summary of Practicum Summary of Practicum Introduction nurses today have the duty of taking on more transformations than their predecessors as the healthcare sector continues to experience constant changes. Nursing mentors also have more responsibilities as it has become evident that being an professional or experienced nurses is not enough for mentors to be able to function as competent supervisors for students in practicum. There are core competencies that have to be utilized by nurses in practicum in order for them to be adequately prepared for the prospect of functioning as registered nurses. For me as a student nurse, the main objective of this practicum was to supply the experience of operating and dispensing actual treatment procedures in a real clinical setting. This would be accomplished under the supervision of a mentor, with the objective of converting student nurses into proficient nursing practitioners. Challenges in the Practicum Experience In my final semester as a student of the nursing course, there were increased responsibilities for me as a student as there were numerous papers with deadlines to be finished even while preparing for the event of new clinically based experiences. Naturally, this increased workload called for more efficiency on my part. Student nurses in any practicum experience will likely be met with greater challenges than had been foreseen (Chunta and Katranka, 2010). Any clinical setting will provide a new and jarring environment in which the student nurse is expected to adapt and care in an expert manner for patients while making sure not to express any negative emotions that may occur naturally in the presence of patients. The reality is that being put in an unfamiliar environment where the patients, staff, and even environment is an unknown place that merely adds to the anxiety experienced by a student nurse. As a nurse in practicum, I noticed that I was plagued by concerns such as the fear of making mistakes, the lack of adequate knowledge on different ailments, or the prospect of being embarrassed by my supervisors or even other authorities in the medical facility where I was operating. My mentor was quite helpful in ensuring that I stopped experiencing too much anxiety as she ensured that she discussed with me each case so that I had as much information as possible about patients before catering to them. During my practicum, I also discovered the importance of reflection. It is vital for nursing students to comprehend the importance of critical thinking while also recognizing the sequence through which clinical and hospital systems deal with different health concerns while also anticipating the necessary nursing actions that will be required. During my practicum, I was able to understand more about how to research about different modern treatment strategies. I also benefited from learning about their application as I witnessed my supervisor and mentor executing them, along with other theoretical models previously learnt in the classroom, in a practical setting. Nurse mentors unquestionably have a basic role in further developing the skills of nursing students while also providing leadership (Davidson and Rourke, 2012). To create an effective and helpful relationship with one’s mentor calls for the investment of a lot of time, effort, and dedication on the part of the student nurse. Nursing mentors also have to invest a lot of their time and efforts to ensure that student nurses benefit from quality educational experiences that will enable them to be able to function responsibly in the future. In many practicum experiences, nurse mentors are expected to work in concert with other medical practitioners in ensuring that student nurses benefit from good practical experiences (Luxford, Safran and Delbanco, 2011). Inexperienced nurse who are expected to function as mentors may sometimes be unable to maintain the best relationships with student mentors. This is why it is important for student nurses in practicum to ensure that they have the best mentors for their practicum placements. In the past, the best supervisors as well as nurse mentors were expected to be aloof, formal, and portray a superior manner when dealing with their mentees. This was believed to be necessary for the formation of boundaries between the mentors and their student mentees. Moreover, in today’s healthcare sector, such characteristics would be considered as being unhelpful to the creation of mutual trust and cooperation between the mentor and mentee. According to a research conducted by Cant and Cooper (2010), where graduate as well as undergraduate students were polled, it was discovered that the mentors who tend to develop strong, positive, and beneficial relationships with their mentees are those who have a strong teaching talent, generate a warm and stimulating learning environment, and are extremely supportive of their mentees. Such mentors are usually easily accessible where their mentees are concerned, enthusiastic, respectful, approachable, flexible, and warm. This ensures that communication lines between the mentor and mentee are left open. According to the research, students felt that the type of characteristics that they considered as being unconstructive for mentors included inaccessibility, rigidity, poor relationships, and poor communication skills. One of the reasons why the relationship between the mentor and mentee during a student’s practicum is so important is because the grades that the student nurse will receive in his or her clinical practicum may be purely subjective and solely based on the estimation of the student nurse’s clinical instructor. This will definitely not be a serious concern if the clinical instructor is an individual that is balanced, fair, and has realistic expectations of the student nurse. It will also be beneficial if the mentor is able to modulate his or her personal feelings when assessing the performance of the student nurse and also often transmits wisdom or relevant knowledge to the student nurse. Conclusion This nursing practicum experience has given me the opportunity to discover my weaknesses as well as strengths while learning how to utilize them to my advantage in future in the future. I have also learnt that it is very important to present one’s self in a positive light when engaging new people or strangers. Seeing the positive in mentors, supervisors, and even patients is the main thing that causes them to want to see the best in a student nurse. This means that in many cases, for the student nurse, interpersonal skills are just as significant as nursing skills and theories that may have been learnt in the classroom. It may be necessary for the student nurse to re-frame his or her thinking patterns in order to identify with the views of patients while also portraying a desire to learn from the present medical practitioners. References Cant, R. P., & Cooper, S. J. (2010). Simulation-based learning in nurse education: systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66: 3–15. Chunta, K., & Katranka, E. (2010). Using problem-based learning in staff development: Strategies for teaching registered nurses and new graduate nurses. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 41(12), 557-564. Davidson, K., & Rourke, L. (2012). Surveying the orientation learning needs of clinical nurse instructors. British Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 9(1), 1-11. Luxford, K., Safran, D. G., & Delbanco, T. (2011). Promoting patient-centered care: A qualitative study of facilitators and barriers in healthcare organization with a reputation for improving the patient experience. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 23(5), 510-515. Read More