Practicum

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Jan 8, 2012

Would love to help, but have a few questions: Where (in what sort of practice environment) are you having your practicum? What role do you have in your practicum? When do you actually start teaching independently? What are your expected responsibilities once you start your actual job as an NAI and NAII instructor?

wells1081 · Jan 10, 2012

Would love to help, but have a few questions: Where (in what sort of practice environment) are you having your practicum? What role do you have in your practicum? When do you actually start teaching independently? What are your expected responsibilities once you start your actual job as an NAI and NAII instructor?

Hi VickyRN - I will working in a community college setting teaching NAI and NAII. I do not start teaching independently for 4 more weeks. My responsibilites are to be able to walk into the classroom setting and / or clinical setting and instruct, oversee and guide the students.

I have been told by most instructors that the turnover is high here because of this reason, and I would love to make this into my project, find the need and then fill it right?

I just do not want to step on anyones toes and I want to make the best experience out of this. I also thought about doing one on adult centered teaching. The supervisor (RN) went to a conference this past week in Raleigh and asked me if I knew anything about this and I shared with her some of the classes I had taken through my MSN course and she is really interested in this learning style. I would love to do this as well.

Suggestions? I think in the long run I would learn more from working on the adult centered learning, but I am not sure how to make that into a project.

Thanks for taking the time to reply back -

conscientiousnurse · Jan 13, 2012

I am a nurse teaching at a private CNA school and may be able to help a little. But could you please clarify: what and where is the practicum you are doing? I have not passed through an MSN program before; if this is a practicum related to the MSN, it is something I'm unfamiliar with.

wells1081 · Jan 29, 2012

The practicum is my final project in completion of MSN - Educator degree. I have identified that all of the instructors that I currently work with do not identify with adult centered teaching so after speaking with them, they have asked that I work on a manual to use within our instructors that educates them on some adult centered learning activities to include in lecture. They sit at the desk and read through the book. They are aware that the style is boring, but have stated they are not "educators" and do not know what else to do. The body systems is the next lecture and I would love to give them some ideas to make this class fun for the students because they absolutely are miserable in class with the 'reading' straight from the book. Any suggestions for this week in body systems?

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Jan 30, 2012

that sounds just plain lazy. Even non-educators can find teaching strategies to use. What is the difference between an instructor and an educator? I think the real issue is that the "instructor" does not have an adequate job description which should include knowledge/history of adult education. Try Gray's Anatomy coloring book to ID body systems, trace circulation routes, create concept map, provide role playing with one "patient" who has been provided a list of symptoms or complaints and have the class determine what is going on----gosh, lots of things to do. Do you have Fuzzard's Teaching Strategies book? May be in the library.

conscientiousnurse · Feb 4, 2012

I am trying, bit by bit, to incorporate adult learning principles also into the lecture part of our CNA class, so this is interesting. One thing you could do is relate something about a body system to real life and discuss a case related to that. For instance, after showing them the location of the prostate and telling them a bit about BPH, you could discuss a case related to that, and what the CNA should do, and what and why they need to report to the nurse. When we discuss body systems, we also talk about normal changes of aging in each body system, and what the CNAs need to keep in mind during the care, to to take care of these changes.