Guiding Education & Preceptorship
Using learning theories to support Readiness to Practice
Supporting learning and readiness to practice in the clinical setting:
Constructivism Theory
To ensure that standardized expectations are met, nurse educators will need to collaborate with the clinical instructors and ensure the following (Brandon & All, 2010):
· The clinical instructor/ educator collaborates with the course leader to coordinate active learning methods
prior to clinical rotation.
· The clinical instructor/ educator should expect that students will create their own personal objectives for
the learning experience.
· Clinical post conferences should involve students in active learning exercises, including case studies.
· Students should alternate presenting case studies, leading fellow classmates in the active learning exercise.
· The clinical instructor / educator should facilitate student-led evaluation, which includes self-evaluation,
peer-evaluation, and instructor evaluation.
Proposed Constructivism Outcomes
“An important result of these active learning techniques is that students are reminded to constantly assess how the activity helps them learn and determine what they need to learn” (Brandon & All, 2010, p. 92).
Concerning nurses’ readiness to practice in the clinical setting; these strategies are valuable tools for nurse educators and clinical instructors to implement. Students will demonstrate an increase in clinical skills, knowledge, and confidence in caring for patients (Brandon & All, 2010), which is pertinent in preparing them for actual hands-on clinical experience.
Increasing nursing students’ confidence using constructivism theory strategies will ultimately help them to excel in giving safe, effective patient care. Students who are called into question about their clinical competence can hopefully benefit from these strategies and improve their clinical confidence, avoiding academic discipline.
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Supporting learning and readiness to practice in the clinical setting:
Transformational Learning Theory
McAllister, Tower & Walker (2007) describe strategies used to build skills in transformative education, pertaining specifically to nursing clinical rotations. These strategies include:
Teaching critical thinking
- provides students with tools they can apply in challenging situations
Teaching skills to notice practices that are harmful or unjust
- teaches students dialectical critique; involves examining multiple and competing perspectives on an issue
Proposed Transformational Outcomes
McAllister, Tower & Walker (2007) found that these transfromational strategies improved nursing student clinical skills and produced competent nurses who were ready to practice on their own. Clinical educators/preceptors can employ these strategies to improve nursing clinical outcomes.
Transformational Learning Theory
McAllister, Tower & Walker (2007) describe strategies used to build skills in transformative education, pertaining specifically to nursing clinical rotations. These strategies include:
Teaching critical thinking
- provides students with tools they can apply in challenging situations
Teaching skills to notice practices that are harmful or unjust
- teaches students dialectical critique; involves examining multiple and competing perspectives on an issue
Proposed Transformational Outcomes
- Assessing clinical performance- assess student learning periodically during the semester/clinical rotation
- Meeting with students- educators must actively listen to students
- Anticipating and preparing- preparation before clinical rotations benefits students and educators
- “Being with” students- in a supportive yet instructive way, balancing proximity and distance
- Using a process of interruption- confronting and overcoming social divisions and inequality
- Using the wisdom of the group- a ‘focus’ student shares his or her experience and the other students ask questions to help the ‘focus’ student reflect
- Using a process of remembrance- helps students to reflect on their achievements and commit to continuing the good work in other groups
McAllister, Tower & Walker (2007) found that these transfromational strategies improved nursing student clinical skills and produced competent nurses who were ready to practice on their own. Clinical educators/preceptors can employ these strategies to improve nursing clinical outcomes.