Service user involvement in nurse education: a report on using online discussions with a service user to augment his digital story

Service user involvement is a key element within current pre- and post-registration nurse education in the U.K. but achieving this is challenging. Most service user involvement is through classroom visits. Digital stories, film and audio are alternatives but lack the interactivity and development of reflection that can be achieved through face-to-face contact. This report reviews the background to service user involvement in healthcare professional education then provides a reflective account of a novel initiative whereby a spinal-injured patient was involved in creating a digital story around some of his in-hospital experiences and then engaged in online discussions with post-registration nursing (degree) and practice educator (masters) students. These discussions provided a richer experience for the students enabling them to reflect more deeply on how nursing care is delivered and perceived by service users. The report concludes that digital stories can be used with repeated groups to inspire discussion and reflection. Augmenting such digital stories with online discussions with the service user whose story is told helps practitioners develop greater empathy, insight and understanding which are beneficial for improving service delivery and nursing care.     

Physiotherapists' stories about professional development

Abstract

Introduction: A professional career may extend over a period of 40 years. Although learning is a feature of professional competence, little is known about learning and development after professional entry education. Methods: Narrative inquiry was used to understand how physiotherapists learned and developed over time, and stories from a purposeful sample of 12 physiotherapists were collected. Stories were thematically analyzed with regard to key elements related to learning and development, and common themes were identified across stories. Findings: Four themes emerged from the analysis where physiotherapists learned and developed in working life: (1) facing challenges; (2) contrasting perspectives; (3) drawing on hundreds of educators; and (4) building on personal experience. Conclusion: Non-formal ways of learning in working life may help physiotherapists learn and develop confidence, communication strategies and different approaches to treatment. Besides reflection on personal experience and patient encounters, learning and development may be promoted and supported by taking on challenges and changing settings.     

Initial evaluation of Stilwell: a multimedia virtual community

Narrative pedagogy has emerged in the last decade as a new approach designed to complement the conventional approaches to education. It is concerned with understanding the meaning of events to people, appreciating multiple perspectives and the emotional content of health care. However there is a paucity of evaluative research concerning its impact. We have used narrative pedagogy to create Stilwell, a realistic narrative telling the stories of 60 characters living in a typical community. Stilwell is a real place (fictional name) and our multimedia model brings the community to life as a virtual practicum for a wide range of health professional students. This paper presents the results of our initial focus group evaluation of student learning experiences with Stilwell. The data indicates students found it a very different way of learning which allowed them to relate theory to practice in ways they had never done before. The realism of Stilwell was a challenge and generated considerable student emotional involvement with the characters, leading to significant novel learning activity. We reflect on how student feedback has allowed us to shape and improve Stilwell as it develops.     

本科男护生专业心理压力源分析与对策

目的 分析引起不同学习阶段男护生专业心理压力的因素及所采取心理压力应对方式,探讨解决问题的有效途径,促进男护生的身心健康发展.方法 采用压力应付方式问卷及自制护生专业心理压力调查问卷,对某省属医科大学护理学院2005至2008级在校本科男护生共102名进行"护生专业心理压力调查问卷"和"压力应付方式问卷"的调查.结果 护理专业男护生存在中度专业心理压力,且各年级男护生专业心理压力存在差异,其中二年级男护生专业心理压力较其他年级学生低.护理专业本科男护生的压力应付方式均为成熟型,即采用"解决问题-求助"方式,其中二年级学生采用解决问题方式多于其他年级学生.结论 应纠正社会对男性护理人员的偏见;根据不同学习阶段学生的特点开展专业思想教育,减轻心理压力,正确引导男护生实现角色转换.     

Exploring the impact of digital stories on empathic learning in neonatal nurse education

Within neonatal nurse education, learning to understand the compelling emotional experiences of parents following the birth of their premature baby is essential to give person-centred empathic care. A collection of digital stories informed by parents' experiences was created to use as a pedagogical tool for students and staff within the neonatal speciality. This study reports on an exploration of the value of these digital stories for the enhancement of empathic learning. Using the principles of narrative inquiry, a mixed-methods design comprising ‘point-of-view’, reflective exercises, interviews and a questionnaire distributed to nursing students and practice staff ascertained views of three digital stories. The participants evaluated the digital stories positively overall and it was clear they were an effective and innovative way to learn about emotional experiences of parents. Powerful emotional messages from parents enhanced awareness, understanding and insight into their affective experience. Within the context of narrative-based neonatal education, there is a place for digital storytelling as a pedagogical strategy informed by parent narratives, to teach students and staff about the emotional impact of the neonatal care experience. In turn, this can potentially lead to more empathic, person-centred care relating to the families of sick, vulnerable babies.     

Drawing on three discursive modes in learning disability nurse education

This article presents ideas generated by a qualitative study exploring the complexities of the social construction of learning disability/intellectual disability. The ideas are based upon a larger doctoral study which investigated the social construction of learning disability as seen through the discourses and discursive devices used by nurse teachers in classroom teaching in particular during story telling activities to students. The investigations centred upon the stories and were supported by subsequent interviews with the teachers and observations of teaching sessions. The findings highlight three discursive devices which I call discursivemodes used in the social construction of learning disability/intellectual disability by nurse educators and help to explain the personal and professional tensions experienced by nurses faced with the dominant discourses of today.     

Using a digital storytelling assignment to teach public health advocacy

The need and expectation for advocacy is central to public health nursing practice. Advocacy efforts that effectively call attention to population health threats and promote the well‐being of communities rely on strategies that deliver influential messaging. The digital story is a lay method to capture meaningful, impactful stories that can be used to advocate for public health concerns. Readily available, user‐friendly digital technologies allow engagement in digital media production to create digital stories. This paper describes how digital story making can be utilized as an academic assignment to teach public health advocacy within an undergraduate nursing curriculum. Providing nursing students this artistic outlet can facilitate meeting academic learning goals, while also equipping them with creative skills that can be applied in future professional practice. Nursing educators can take advantage of institutional resources and campus culture to support the use of novel digital media assignments that facilitate application of advocacy concepts.     

Integrating informatics into undergraduate nursing education: A case study using a spiral learning approach

A gap in informatics expertise amongst nursing students, practising staff and faculty has been noted globally, which reduces the potential for nurses to utilise technology to enhance patient care. National nursing education strategies and recommendations from professional associations have identified digital health as an area that needs investment. This case study describes how health informatics is being integrated into a Bachelor of Nursing programme in the United Kingdom. An international collaboration with a US-UK Fulbright Specialist Scholar enabled individual learning units corresponding to key health informatics competencies to be designed and incorporated into a pedagogic framework grounded in the spiral learning approach. This approach is proposed as one way to integrate informatics into nursing education, so students can become competent clinicians that are able to deliver technology enabled care in the health service.     

Students' perceptions of digital narratives of compassionate care

This study set out to explore the learning that occurred from listening to narratives of compassionate care, and to identify students' preferred story formats and other potential uses of such stories. Four short stories in different media formats were used. Data was gathered from an evaluation questionnaire and thematic analysis undertaken; this generated two themes: ‘Learning from the stories’ and ‘Students perceptions of the value of different media formats and other potential uses’. Sub-themes related to the narratives themselves emerged from first theme these included: person-centredness, compassion, relatives, effective mentor support and ‘the world of the student nurse’. There was evidence of the stories acting as a trigger for reflection and discussion although sometimes, cognitive dissonance arose. Audiofiles suitable for use as podcasts, with and without music, and digital stories all proved to be effective digital narratives for this type of learning activity. Students suggested such stories would be also useful for preparing them for practice placements and training of mentors.In conclusion, digital narratives can promote effective reflective thinking and discussion about compassionate care. The findings support many aspects of narrative pedagogy previously reported but add to this by providing insight into student nurses' learning from peer experiences.     

Celebrating a commitment to care: building concernful practices among practitioners

Caring can be discussed and achieved in a variety of ways within various professional nursing settings. The purpose of our Commitment to Care Celebration was to share common experiences of caring among students, faculty, and staff to build community at a small midwestern college of nursing. The concernful practices of schooling learning teaching were the backbone of designing this caring experience. Narrative pedagogy invited stories of caring among participants in small circular groups to discover what was most important in caring for self and others. This event revealed a true caring experience for students, faculty, and staff, and supported how concernful practices engendered a community of learners.     

Patient and Carer Involvement in the Radiotherapy Curriculum: The Impact on Students' Professional Development

AimThe purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which therapeutic radiography students learned from patients' and carers' experience of cancer and its treatment and understand how this contributed to their professional development. A secondary outcome was to use this insight to further develop the curriculum.MethodsA phenomenographical approach was chosen that used in-depth interviewing. Eighteen participants consented to take part, and their interviews were transcribed verbatim. Attride-Stirling’s thematic network analysis was used as the interpretive framework.ResultsThree global themes were identified: emotional recognition, emotion labour, and professional presentation. Facilitated interaction in the classroom with patients and carers was seen as a catalyst for learning. This stimulated higher-level thinking that prompted students to challenge their values and beliefs about “care” and seek ways to improve emotional capability.ConclusionsExplicit patient and carer involvement provokes dialogue about the emotional consequences of working in an oncology setting and encourages students to be patient centred. Curriculum enhancements must focus on developing care and compassionate behaviours while supporting professional development and self-care strategies.     

Development pathways in learning to be a physiotherapist

Background and Purpose . Few studies have examined the experiences of students' professional socialization in physiotherapy. This international longitudinal study aimed to study experiences of situated learning and change in a student cohort during a physiotherapy education programme. Method . A phenomenographic design with semi‐structured interviews was carried out with a cohort of physiotherapy students from two sites, strategically selected for variation in gender, age, educational background, work experience and academic level. Interviews were carried out after each of the first five semesters in the programme by a team of researchers. Seventy‐six interviews explored students' learning experiences. Analysis identified the variation in experiences seen as important to becoming a physiotherapist. Results . Distinct perceptions of professional growth and progression are identified in four pathways of development: ‘Reflecting on Practice’; ‘Communicating with Others’; ‘Performing Skills’; and ‘Searching Evidence’. These pathways demonstrate qualitative differences in the focus of learning experiences and preferred learning context, and include learning in a context which supports reflection, learning as agreed by others in a context with patients and other professionals, learning physiotherapy skills in a practice context and learning formal knowledge in a context where theory can be linked with practice. Conclusions . In a cohort of students professional growth can be seen in a variety of development pathways. Each shows progress of professional growth in the ‘what’ as changes in experiences and the ‘how’ as ways of learning from them. In addition, the pattern of pathways in a cohort may change from one semester to another suggesting individuals may adopt different learning pathways throughout their education. Teaching staff are challenged to consider how they recognize a variation in development pathways in their student cohorts and how they purposefully ensure experiences to guide students through different learning pathways in socialization to become a physiotherapist. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A challenge to the rhetoric of emancipation: recreating a professional culture

This paper explores the notion that nursing education is a political process which reproduces traditional practices There is evidence to suggest that dominant ideologies, embedded in the social processes of education and health care, shape the consciousness of nurse teachers and students towards conformity and compliance with established practices in hegemonic institutions Traditional practices or 'common sense' reinforces the structural arrangements which contribute to the contradictions that students experience between knowledge they are 'given' in the classroom and knowledge they derive from their clinical learning experiences It is clinical placements which bring students face to face with their position in the established hierarchy of knowledge, professional relationships and routinized practices In this sense students may experience their classroom education as a denial of their lived experience in clinical settings They may learn to negotiate among the different meanings and explanations they encounter and learn to act in ways that are personally and professionally 'safe', thereby reproducing traditional nursing culture Project 2000 in Great Britain and the calls for a 'curriculum revolution' from North America promise transformation of traditional practice But it is the political processes of teaching and learning and their practical effects which must be revealed for critique and transformation if professional ideals of reflective practice, emancipatory knowledge and professional autonomy are to play an integral part in transforming professional nursing practice within hegemonic institutions     

Perceptions of digital storytelling in the classroom

Digital storytelling is used as an educational tool that enhances learning in many disciplines, although little is known about how prelicensure nursing students perceive the use of digital stories in the classroom. Digital stories were featured in the class sessions followed by a group care planning activity with objectives based on The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Initiative Patient-Centered Care Competency. Focus group discussions and classroom evaluations by prelicensure students indicated positive results.     

What did first-year students experience during their interprofessional education? A qualitative analysis of e-portfolios

Interprofessional collaboration is an essential approach to comprehensive patient care. As previous studies have argued, interprofessional education (IPE) must be integrated in a stepwise, systematic manner in undergraduate health profession education programmes. Given this perspective, first-year IPE is a critical opportunity for building the foundation of interprofessional collaborative practice. This study aims to explore the first-year students’ learning processes and the longitudinal changes in their perceptions of learning in a year-long IPE programme. Data were collected at a Japanese medical university, in which different pedagogical approaches are adopted in the IPE programme. Some of these approaches include interprofessional problem-based learning, early exposure, and interactive lecture-based teaching. The students are required to submit written reflections as a formative assessment. This study conducted an inductive thematic analysis of 104 written reflections from a series of e-portfolios of 26 first-year students. The themes related to learning outcomes from student perspectives included communication (e.g., active listening and intelligible explanation), teams and teamwork (e.g., mutual engagement and leadership), roles/responsibilities as a group member (e.g., self-directed learning and information literacy), and roles/responsibilities as a health professional (e.g., understanding of the student’s own professional and mutual respect in an interprofessional team). The study also indicated three perspectives of students’ learning process at different stages of the IPE, i.e., processes by which students became active and responsible learners, emphasised the enhancement of teamwork, and developed their own interprofessional identities. This study revealed the first-year students’ learning processes in the year-long IPE programme and clarified the role of the first-year IPE programme within the overall curriculum. The findings suggest that the students’ active participation in the IPE programme facilitated their fundamental understanding of communication/teamwork and identity formation as a health professional in interprofessional collaborative practice.     

Storytelling as a teaching-learning tool with RN students.

The Registered Nurse student returning to school brings both a knowledge base and experiences that lend themselves to enriching the learning environment. These experiences have helped to develop the practical knowledge and expertise that is evident in their practice. When these experiences are shared in the form of stories, they provide a mechanism for transformation within the learner. This study focused on the use of storytelling in teaching and empowering RN students to become involved in their own learning and fostering critical reflection. The RN students in this study represented a diverse ethnic/racial group. As a result, students were challenged to understand and manage cultural diversity and value cultural differences. The use of storytelling engaged students in reflective thinking, writing, and learning activities that identified assumptions, alternative ways of thinking, teaching, and practicing nursing.