Students on Externship
I have a slightly different situation. I am not a classroom instructor. I am a clinical coordinator and have to visit students while out on their externships. This requires a different approach to getting students to follow policies while with "strangers" and still enjoy the learning process. I only see my students for a few hours per week and it's a constant struggle to maintain that much needed balance with them. I still would never pass up the oportunity to see that "ah ha" look in their eyes when they realize that the instructors they had knew what they were talking about.
I work in Career Services and I serve as an Externship Coordinator. I find it difficult to enforce due dates when I have not personally connected with the student prior to Externship. Phone calls and emails do not always yield wanted results. We work together at this school to reach out to Externs who are not turning in their assignments (timesheets, supervisor evaluation, and project)on time and not contacting us back. The Lead Instructors will support us in Career Services with this task since they sometimes have a better rapport with the students.
I too am a clinical Instructor. I have found it hard in the past to keep up with my students who I am trying to build a rapport with in a short time. I have learned that they are more opened to me if I visit the lecture area prior to the clinicals. This way I am getting to know them in their learning environment they are use to. I can help them to bridge over to the clinical environment which can honestly be scary to a new student nurse. If I have rapport and can witness their learning during lecture I feel I am better equipt as their Clinical Instructor.
I do like the idea of the journal though. I am going to try this with my students.
Ashley , many enhancements exist today the can bridge the factors of time and location. Have you considered creating a wiki page and having your students maintain a journal or some form of asynchronous dialog that details their reflections of their learning experience? You can then get the best of both worlds between your site visits and the communications you have between visits.
James Jackson
