dont encourage the students
make sure that you dont encourage the students to confront real staff whome they will see demonstrating poor practice
Aprilyn, thank you for making this an important discussion with your learners.
Michele Deck
As an instructor, I go over proper clinical procedures with my students. I also share with them my experience with other clinicians who try to cut corners by not being thourough in their practice. I do have to stress to my students not to confront their clincial preceptors who do have poor practice because the preceptors may take offense. This may cause the clincial site to break their contract with the school.
We teach our students the approved method, but I often tell them ways that the methods can be adapted so that they aren't surprised when they get out into the real world. They have to be creative sometimes and it doesn't mean that the method used is wrong. As far as observing staff out in the field, I encourage students to politely ask why that staff member does something a certain way so they can learn new methods.
The best example/worst example is a great learning opportunity for the students.Seeing the difference and verbalizing in a group setting will encourage a reinforcement of the proper procedural techniques.It also allows the student to learn to restrain from commenting on their staff partners poor practice until their in a learning environment with the instructor.
Margaet,this is a great way to frame what it means to be a guest at a clinical site. Thank you for being sensitive to each side of the fence.
Michele Deck
We tell our students before we go out to clinical that we are guests in the clinical site and are to act like it. When they see something that is not to their liking or what they learned, to bring it to post-conference and we can discuss it there.
Wendy, I have found that if a student does not demonstrate integrity as a learner, they will not be able to as a graduate on the job. Thank you for stressing its importance to your students.
Michele Deck
Completely agree. This is a topic that I discuss with my students on DAY ONE of the Externship quarter. We use our weekly meetings to discuss the good and bad events that involve the actions of the staff of the facility in which they are assigned. This is a huge learning experience for the students. It's important for them to understand that they will see this type of behavior but they should NEVER deviate from what they know is right. Integrity, Integrity, Integrity!!!!
I have found that students are very quick to pass judgement on "seasoned staff" and have actually made some enemies by addressing the issues with them. I encourage my students to bring the issues to a faculty member, so that we can assess if it's just a difference in practice or if there really is a problem and then take the appropriate steps.
Beatrice, modeling positive communication is an essential skill of each and every educator.
Michele Deck
I think that is a good idea encourage the students to talk to the staff and express their appreciation in a positive manner.
Michelle, teaching them this skill will be a good one they will have to use on the job.
Michele Deck
I 100% agree with this statement. I have some students that believe it is his/her job to correct the clinical site. I tell them that there is a reason for the way they are doing things, and that they should not be correcting them. I encourage them to ask questions, but never question why they are doing it a certain way. I always remind them that they are the student.
Wendy, it is indeed hard to teach what real world may be. This is a great frame to give the students to understand book knowledge versus real world applications.
Michele Deck
I totally agree with this statement. The student is there to learn, and that may mean learn new ways of doing things. I explain to all my students that we teach them what is absolutely ideal... the way things would be done in a perfect world. But they will need to adapt the way they do things to fit the office they are working in. We can teach them right and wrong, however in the "real world" ideal does not always work. I encourage them to ask questions, but NOT in front of patients, and stress to them that they should never begin with "that is not how they taught me in school." On my first job, my boss told me that it would take her 6 months to retrain me to work in a real office, not the imaginary one at school.
cheryl, this is a way to teach the life lesson of working well with others.
Michele Deck
I totally agree that it is not a good idea for a student to confront someone they were observing in the field. I do however tell my students that the way we teach them at the school is a good and approved method, but I warn them right away that they may see other people doing procedures a little differently than we are teaching them. It is not necessarily all wrong. I think it would be good for them to take some notes throughout the day of things they observe that may be a little or a lot different than the way they were taught, so it could be discussed with their instructor and classmates.
Michael, I agree this is not what we want to happen.
Michele Deck
Confronting of staff by a student shouid not be encourage. Staff to Staff
