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Skills Laboratories (skill + laboratory)
Selected AbstractsThe impact of a new educational strategy on acquiring neonatology skillsMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 5 2002I Treadwell Overview A shortage of staff for teaching neonatology skills to large numbers of students, in small groups and following a new curriculum, necessitated an innovative educational strategy. This entailed the development and implementation of an interactive multimedia program (CD-ROM) to deliver information about skills and to demonstrate them. Methods Students had to study a specific skill using the CD-ROM and then practise in the Skills Laboratory, supported by lecturers who provided formative evaluation. Objectives The aims of this study were to assess the students' perspectives on the new strategy, and to compare the skills of students following the new curriculum to those of students following the traditional curriculum, who do not follow structured programmes on practical skills but experience a practical neonatology rotation. Results The evaluation of the CD-ROM program was very favourable. The majority of students still preferred live demonstrations but found the CD-ROM useful for revision purposes. With the exception of one skill, endotracheal intubation, the new curriculum students were found to be as competent as the students following the traditional curriculum and performed mask ventilation and cardiac massage significantly better than them. [source] Nursing competence 10 years on: fit for practice and purpose yet?JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 10 2008Ann Bradshaw PhD, Dip N Aims and objectives., This paper examines how nurses are prepared to be clinically competent and safe at registration, so that they are fit for practice and purpose. It follows up two papers on competence published in 1997 and 1998 and investigates subsequent developments. Background., In 1979, major changes in nursing affected nurse education and preparation for competence. In the following two decades, it became clear that nurses lacked clinical skills. This paper examines subsequent changes and asks the question whether this crucial shortcoming has now been remedied. This paper considers the background and context of change in nursing and nurse education in the 1980s. It looks at the new ideology, to prepare the ,knowledgeable doer' and examines the consequences of the change on nursing competency from the 1990s to the present day. Methods., This is a position paper. Professional policy documents from the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting and Nursing and Midwifery Council, government reports and legislation on nursing and relevant nursing literature are examined and critically analysed and conclusions drawn. Conclusions., From 1923,1977, mandatory nursing syllabuses set by the General Nursing Council of England and Wales required the registered nurse to have acquired certain specific clinical skills. These were rigorously tested to an explicit standard set by the General Nursing Council before a nurse was awarded state registration. Twenty-five years later, the loss of this system for ensuring this competence and the implications of this loss, have been widely recognised. As a result, many nurse training institutions have introduced clinical skills laboratories, simulation of practice and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination. However, to the authors' surprise and contrary to their initial expectations, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has not made these systems uniform or mandatory and so still has no way of ensuring all nurse training is producing safe nurses in the United Kingdom. The authors conclude that the untested educational ideology that brought root and branch change to nurse training in 1983 and which failed to produce nurses ,fit for practice and purpose' may still prevail. Relevance to clinical practice., The present paper demonstrates that United Kingdom nurse training still has no uniform and mandatory system in place to ensure, as far as is possible, that all registered nurses are clinically competent and safe to practice. [source] Student views on the effective teaching of physical examination skills: a qualitative studyMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009Merel J C Martens Objectives, The lack of published studies into effective skills teaching in clinical skills centres inspired this study of student views of the teaching behaviours of skills teachers. Methods, We organised focus group discussions with students from Years 1,3 of a 6-year undergraduate medical curriculum. A total of 30 randomly selected students, divided into three groups, took part in two sessions. They discussed what teaching skills helped them to acquire physical examination skills. Results, Students' opinions related to didactic skills, interpersonal and communication skills and preconditions. Students appreciated didactic skills that stimulate deep and active learning. Another significant set of findings referred to teachers' attitudes towards students. Students wanted teachers to be considerate and to take them seriously. This was reflected in student descriptions of positive behaviours, such as: ,responding to students' questions'; ,not exposing students' weaknesses in front of the group', and ,[not] putting students in an embarrassing position in skill demonstrations'. They also appreciated enthusiasm in teachers. Important preconditions included: the integration of skills training with basic science teaching; linking of skills training to clinical practice; the presence of clear goals and well-structured sessions; good time management; consistency of teaching, and the appropriate personal appearance of teachers and students. Conclusions, The teaching skills and behaviours that most facilitate student acquisition of physical examination skills are interpersonal and communication skills, followed by a number of didactic interventions, embedded in several preconditions. Findings related to interpersonal and communication skills are comparable with findings pertaining to the teaching roles of tutors and clinical teachers; however, the didactic skills merit separate attention as teaching skills for use in skills laboratories. The results of this study should be complemented by a study performed in a larger population and a study exploring teachers' views. [source] The De-Escalating Aggressive Behaviour Scale: development and psychometric testingJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 9 2009Johannes Nau Abstract Title.,The De-Escalating Aggressive Behaviour Scale: development and psychometric testing. Aim., This paper is a report of a study to develop and test the psychometric properties of a scale measuring nursing students' performance in de-escalation of aggressive behaviour. Background., Successful training should lead not merely to more knowledge and amended attitudes but also to improved performance. However, the quality of de-escalation performance is difficult to assess. Method., Based on a qualitative investigation, seven topics pertaining to de-escalating behaviour were identified and the wording of items tested. The properties of the items and the scale were investigated quantitatively. A total of 1748 performance evaluations by students (rater group 1) from a skills laboratory were used to check distribution and conduct a factor analysis. Likewise, 456 completed evaluations by de-escalation experts (rater group 2) of videotaped performances at pre- and posttest were used to investigate internal consistency, interrater reliability, test,retest reliability, effect size and factor structure. Data were collected in 2007,2008 in German. Findings., Factor analysis showed a unidimensional 7-item scale with factor loadings ranging from 0·55 to 0·81 (rater group 1) and 0·48 to 0·88 (rater group 2). Cronbach's alphas of 0·87 and 0·88 indicated good internal consistency irrespective of rater group. A Pearson's r of 0·80 confirmed acceptable test,retest reliability, and interrater reliability Intraclass Correlation 3 ranging from 0·77 to 0·93 also showed acceptable results. The effect size r of 0·53 plus Cohen's d of 1·25 indicates the capacity of the scale to detect changes in performance. Conclusion., Further research is needed to test the English version of the scale and its validity. [source] Returning Nurses to the Workforce: Developing a Fast Track Back ProgramNURSING FORUM, Issue 3 2006Helen K. Burns PhD TOPIC., Fast Track Back: Re-entry into Nursing Practice program. PURPOSE AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION.,Describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a state-of-the-art re-entry program facilitating the return of licensed nonpracticing RNs to the workforce through a quality education program that retools them for the workforce in the areas of pharmacology, skill development using the latest technology, practice standards, and nursing issues. The program consists of didactic content taught via classroom, Internet, skills laboratory, and high fidelity human simulated technology and a clinical component. CONCLUSIONS.,The program is a mechanism that enables re-entry nurses to improve skills and competencies necessary to practice in today's healthcare environment. [source] | ||||||||||