Nurse education today
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Nurse education today · Nov 2011
The development of evidence based guidelines for clinical practice portfolios.
Although the use of portfolios is widespread within healthcare education, agreement on their purpose, content, assessment and value is still debated. The objective of this study was to achieve consensus on quality criteria for clinical practice portfolios that would act as guidance for students and lecturers. ⋯ The Delphi process facilitated exchange of ideas amongst panel 'experts' about the content and evaluation of clinical practice portfolios, with most debate relating to judgement of competence and rewarding originality and creativity. These issues illustrate the tensions between educational values and professional constraints. The Delphi process proved to be an effective method for achieving consensus on quality criteria for clinical practice portfolios and enabled the development of validated guidelines.
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Nurse education today · Nov 2011
Effects of competitive computer-assisted learning versus conventional teaching methods on the acquisition and retention of knowledge in medical surgical nursing students.
This paper presents a novel approach of computer-assisted learning for nursing education in university undergraduate courses. ⋯ Significant benefits were found following our approach. The work of the students could be evaluated along the course, the workload of instructors was reduced and students received immediate feedback by the on-line judge, which promoted both independent learning and reflective thinking. The approach is applicable to any other nursing educational institution.
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Nurse education today · Nov 2011
Predictors of academic performance of nursing and paramedic students in first year bioscience.
The expanding scope of practice of paramedics and nurses demands they possess a sophisticated knowledge of bioscience to enable them to think critically and make rational clinical decisions. It is well documented that nursing students struggle with bioscience but there are no studies examining the performance of paramedic students in this crucial subject. In this study, we compared the academic performance of first year nursing, paramedic and nursing/paramedic double degree students in a bioscience subject. ⋯ Previous study of biology was associated with an increased bioscience and overall GPA but not with non-bioscience grades. Discriminant analysis was used to develop a model that could predict overall academic success with an accuracy of 78.5%. These criteria may be useful during the admission process and for the early identification of students at risk of failure.
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Nurse education today · Nov 2011
Does the use of reflective models restrict critical thinking and therefore learning in nurse education? What have we done?
This article will explore relevant publications relating to practices involving the use of reflective models in UK nurse education. This will then be critically analysed in terms of my personal experiences as a nurse educator. SchÖn's seminal work (1987) on reflection never intended for the process of reflection to become so structured that it actually restricted thinking. ⋯ Indeed these models are now being seen by both students and some nurse educators as compulsory. The number of these models available to students within nurse education is phenomenal (Rolfe et al., 2001) and they appear to be a requirement for educators to support their learners in constructing ways of thinking. Further consideration needs to be given by nurses educators to the underpinning philosophy and concepts relating to reflection.