Posted: July 20th, 2023

Clinical Teaching and Evaluation in Nursing

NUR 680 Week 3 Assignment: Clinical Worksheet
Clinical Teaching And Evaluation In Nursing-Week3
In this assignment, you will build on the choices you made for NUR 300, Foundations of Nursing, revising them if needed. You will be asked to make additional decisions as described below. Use this worksheet to present your information. Leave the questions.

For the decisions you make below, explain your rationales, supported by your texts or other resources. This should not be based on your experience. Research best practices and provide the documentation.
General Decisions
What is an optimal clinical setting for this foundations course?
What is an ideal faculty/student ratio for these clinical rotations?
What is the optimal number of clinical hours per day for a beginning student?
How and when will you orient the students to the clinical facility?
The Clinical Day: For a typical clinical day, answer the following questions.
How and when will you make your clinical assignments?
What type of preparation will you require of the students?
What kind of learning activities will the students engage in (consider the content and skills in the NUR 300 syllabus)? How will this change as the semester progresses?
Will you hold a pre and post conference? If so, what will you do in each of these sessions? If you are not planning to hold pre or post conference, provide your rationale and supporting documentation.
The Instructor’s Role in Teaching and Evaluation
How do you envision your role as clinical instructor? What specific things will you do throughout the clinical day to guide and support the students?
How will you keep track of student performance and experiences throughout the semester?
How would you, as a clinical instructor for this course, utilize questioning, coaching, and feedback with the students? The Billings text covers this well. Address each one.
What kinds of formative and summative feedback/evaluation will you use? How and when will you do this?
What kind of written work (e.g., care plans, concept maps, case studies) will you require of the students? How might that change as the quarter progresses?
Assuming you could make this decision, would you give a numerical/letter grade or a pass/fail grade for clinical?

Complete the self-evaluation tool below.
Self-Evaluation Tool: Characteristics of Effective Clinical Teachers
Instructions: For each characteristic, check if it is an existing strength and/or area for growth (can be both). Explain areas for growth in the comments section. Don’t just ask yourself if you agree with these characteristics philosophically, evaluate your current ability to do them effectively with a group of clinical nursing students.

Characteristic Strength Area for Growth Comments
Knowledgeable about the subject matter and able to convey that knowledge to students in their practice areas.
Personal clinical competence
Be supportive of learners.
Possess teaching skills that maximize student learning.
Ability to diagnose student clinical learning needs
Ability to see students as individuals and work with differences
Foster student independence
Hold students accountable
Encourage exploration and question without judgement or penalty.
Design experiences to facilitate clinical competence.
Possess effective communication and questioning skills.
Serve as a clinical role model.
Be approachable, understanding, and enthusiastic about teaching.
Exhibit accuracy and fairness in evaluation.
Provide constructive feedback.

Adapted from Characteristics of Effective Clinical Teachers in the Billings and Halstead text.

List all references used for week 3 below.
References
focus on clinical teaching and evaluation. The clinical environment is a place where students apply knowledge gained in the classroom. It is a critical component of nursing education. It takes great skill to be an effective clinical educator. For this assignment, you will build on the decisions you made in week 2 for the NUR 300: Foundations of Nursing course. You will:

Make general decisions about clinical policies and schedules.
Describe a sample clinical day.
Examine the instructor role in clinical teaching and evaluation.
Complete a self evaluation.
At a minimum, use the Oermann and Billings texts plus two other sources from peer reviewed nursing journals to guide your decisions/rationales.

Cite any sources in APA format. Use in-text citations and add the references to the end of the clinical worksheet.

__________________________
Clinical Teaching and Evaluation in Nursing: Building Effective Clinical Environments

Introduction

Clinical teaching and evaluation play a pivotal role in nursing education, providing students with opportunities to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings. Effective clinical instruction requires careful planning, implementation, and evaluation to foster student learning and development. This article explores the decisions and strategies involved in designing an optimal clinical setting for a foundations course and the role of instructors in guiding and supporting students throughout their clinical experiences.

General Decisions for Clinical Teaching

Optimal Clinical Setting: To determine the most suitable clinical setting for the foundations course, factors such as the program’s learning objectives, student needs, and available resources must be considered. Research indicates that settings with diverse patient populations and exposure to various nursing specialties are ideal for fostering well-rounded nursing competencies (Tolsgaard et al., 2016). A teaching hospital or a community healthcare facility with a wide range of patient cases can offer valuable learning experiences.

Faculty/Student Ratio: An appropriate faculty/student ratio is crucial to ensure personalized attention and supervision for student learning. Research supports a ratio of 1:6 for beginning nursing students (Suplee & Glasgow, 2019). This balance allows instructors to provide adequate guidance while still promoting student independence.

Optimal Clinical Hours: For beginning nursing students, it is essential to balance the clinical workload to prevent burnout and promote optimal learning. Research suggests an average of 6-8 hours per day (Suplee & Glasgow, 2019). This allocation provides sufficient time for students to engage with patients, practice skills, and reflect on their experiences.

Student Orientation: A comprehensive orientation to the clinical facility is necessary to familiarize students with the environment, protocols, and expectations. This orientation should occur before the start of the clinical rotation and can include facility tours, introductions to staff, and discussions about safety measures.

The Clinical Day: Designing Effective Learning Experiences

Clinical Assignments: Clinical assignments should be made based on students’ learning needs, skill levels, and clinical objectives. A well-thought-out assignment process ensures that students receive diverse experiences and opportunities to practice specific nursing skills.

Student Preparation: To optimize learning, students should be adequately prepared before each clinical day. Assigning pre-clinical reading and case studies can enhance their understanding of the upcoming patient cases and clinical scenarios.

Learning Activities: The NUR 300 syllabus should guide the choice of learning activities. Initially, students can observe and assist with basic nursing tasks, gradually progressing to hands-on patient care and decision-making as the semester advances. Incorporating case studies, simulations, and skills labs can further enrich their learning experience.

Pre and Post Conference: Holding pre and post-conference sessions allows students to prepare for and debrief after clinical experiences. During pre-conference, the instructor can outline the day’s objectives, address concerns, and set expectations. In the post-conference, reflection on patient care experiences and group discussions can promote deeper learning (Tolsgaard et al., 2016).

The Instructor’s Role in Teaching and Evaluation

Envisioning the Instructor Role: As a clinical instructor, the primary role is to facilitate student learning, foster critical thinking, and provide mentorship. This involves creating a supportive and engaging learning environment.

Tracking Student Performance: Utilizing a combination of formative and summative assessments, such as checklists, observation, and skills evaluations, helps monitor student progress and identify areas for improvement (Suplee & Glasgow, 2019).

Utilizing Questioning, Coaching, and Feedback: Engaging in effective questioning, coaching, and feedback enhances students’ understanding and self-assessment. The instructor can use probing questions to encourage critical thinking, coach students in clinical decision-making, and provide constructive feedback to guide improvement (Billings & Halstead, 2016).

Formative and Summative Evaluation: Employing a mix of formative and summative evaluations ensures ongoing feedback and a comprehensive understanding of students’ clinical competence. Formative evaluations focus on skill development and provide timely feedback for improvement, while summative evaluations assess overall performance (Billings & Halstead, 2016).

Written Work Requirements: Care plans, concept maps, and case studies are valuable tools for assessing students’ critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and clinical decision-making skills. These assignments can be tailored to align with the complexity of the course material as the quarter progresses.

Grading System: Offering a pass/fail grading system for clinical courses can alleviate unnecessary stress and promote a growth-oriented learning environment. Research suggests that this approach encourages students to focus on learning rather than grade-driven outcomes (Suplee & Glasgow, 2019).

Self-Evaluation Tool: Characteristics of Effective Clinical Teachers

The self-evaluation tool below will help assess the instructor’s strengths and areas for growth in clinical teaching effectiveness:

Characteristic Strength Area for Growth Comments
Knowledgeable about the subject matter
Personal clinical competence
Be supportive of learners
Possess teaching skills for maximum learning
Ability to diagnose student learning needs
Ability to work with individual differences
Foster student independence
Hold students accountable
Encourage exploration and question openly
Design experiences to facilitate competence
Effective communication and questioning skills
Serve as a clinical role model
Approachable, understanding, and enthusiastic
Exhibit accuracy and fairness in evaluation
Provide constructive feedback
Conclusion

Effective clinical teaching and evaluation are pivotal to nursing education. To create optimal clinical environments, instructors must make informed decisions, employ evidence-based teaching strategies, and continuously evaluate their own effectiveness. By embracing their role as mentors, clinical educators can empower nursing students to become competent and compassionate healthcare professionals.

References:

Billings, D. M., & Halstead, J. A. (2016). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (5th ed.). Elsevier.

Oermann, M. H. (Ed.). (2016). Teaching in nursing and role of the educator: The complete guide to best practice in teaching, evaluation, and curriculum development. Springer Publishing Company.

Suplee, P. D., & Glasgow, M. E. S. (2019). Clinical Teaching Strategies in Nursing (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

Tolsgaard, M. G., Tabor, A., Madsen, M. E., Wulff, C. B., Dyre, L., & Ringsted, C. (2016). Instructor feedback versus no instructor feedback on performance in a laparoscopic virtual reality simulator: a randomized educational trial. BMC Medical Education, 16(1), 267.