The Role of Nurse in Health Education - Essay Example

Nursing Teaching Plan Introduction One of the primary roles of a nurse is to serve as an educator or trainer. and their families are entitled to health education to help them to make informed decisions concerning their health. During teaching the clients and their families, nurses are able to promote healthy lifestyles. In order to conduct health education, nurses should be able to apply health knowledge, learning theories, the change process, and the nursing and teaching theories (Snyder, 2012). A competent nurse should be able to effectively perform nursing duties and effectively integrate cognitive, psychomotor, and emotional skills in the delivery of nursing care (Hakimzadeh et al., 2013). For a nurse to effectively carry out the role of a health educator, it is imperative to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the learning needs of the clients and their families. The assessment encompasses physical assessment of the client, their support system, client’s characteristics influencing learning, an individual’s stage of change, and barriers hampering the learning process (Snyder, 2012). Bloom’s Taxonomy for educational goals is useful in the assessment of the level of learning that has occurred, as a nurse aims to serve as an educator. The nurse as an educator should, therefore, make a comprehensive teaching plan to guide the teaching-learning process. The teaching plan addresses the individual needs of the learner, the intended goals, and the approach to be used during the teaching process. Teaching Plan The three main objectives to be used during the teaching process were: to translate the written material into Mandarin, use pre and post quiz to determine learning objectives and outcomes respectively, and clients performing exercises according to what was learnt. The first and third teaching objectives are cognitive learning goals whereas the second objective is a psychomotor learning goal. It is imperative to assess the learning goals to determine the quality of learning intended for the clients. Bloom’s taxonomy, originally created in and for an academic setting, is useful in determining the usefulness of set goals in facilitating holistic learning. Bloom placed value in the mastery of subjects and advancement of higher orders of thinking as opposed to mere transference of facts. According to this classification, cognitive learning entails the transference of knowledge, psychomotor involves skills, and the affective domain concerns the attitudes towards a subject. The clients were given the opportunity to pictures and posters of various exercises. After that, they received a demonstration of each exercise and an explanation of the material presented on the board. The large poster outlined the benefits of exercise, the types of exercises to be used to improve strength, endurance, flexibility and balance, helpful tips during exercising, and points to remember during exercising. The first step of looking at the posters and having the material explain to them is in the cognitive domain of learning. The information is comprehended by the mind, but has not yet resulted in behavioral change. The clients performed the exercises in a seated position and were taught how to carry out the exercises safely. The first aspect of learning while seated is in the cognitive domain of learning. When the clients try out the exercises with the help of their educator until they are able to handle the exercises personally and successfully, the domain of learning is psychomotor. The clients are given the opportunity to learn in an environment that resembles real-life situations as much as possible. For instance, neck exercises, standing on one foot, and heel to toe walk are simulated in the learning environment to ensure that the clients attain proper positioning. Simulations promote realism and are highly interactive since they mirror real life situations (Edgecombe, et al., 2013). The ‘heel-to-toe walk’ for instance is as should be applied to everyday walking. In helping theclients to attin correct walking pattern, the nurse gets the opportunity to interact with each learner individually thus better understand their unique learning needs. Props are an important aspect of learning since they facilitate application of knowledge. Simulations have been identified as useful tools of training since the simulation exercise can be videotaped and allow multiple evaluators the opportunity to analyze the progress made (Decker et al., 2011). The recorded simulations are also beneficial in helping the educator to evaluate progress made by the client in terms of functioning capabilities. The props additionally aid a sense of realism in the process (Edgecombe, et al., 2013). In order to enhance learning and the retaining of knowledge, it is imperative to offer the clients supplementary exercises to be conducted outside the learning setting. It is for this reason that the clients were offered a brochure describing the exercises learnt. The clients also received a stress ball to improve on their finger dexterity. Each client, therefore, has the role of promoting their learning and through supplementary exercises, to identify areas that still require to be addressed. The client is in this case offered a chance to actively participate in the learning process. The client is able to identify areas that require more time input than the others, and gets to perfect skills already learnt. Integration of Teaching-Learning Principles The learning process and readiness for learning is influenced by a variety of factors including age of the client, a client’s understanding of health problem, health beliefs and practices, cultural factors, economic factors, learning style used, and client’s support system (Snyder, 2012). These factors can be grouped into three categories; teacher-centered, learner-centered, and environment. Teacher-centered influences are those emanating from the teacher is mainly the teaching approach used. All other factors mentioned are environment-based apart from age and understanding of health problem which are learner-based. The readiness of the client to learn occurs at three levels; physical, emotional and cognitive (p. 501). Nurses are capable of enhancing readiness to learn by offering their clients the physical and emotional support that is critical to their stage of recovery. The nurse can also present the client with learning opportunities as a means of promoting the teaching-learning process. The learning environment offers the setting for learning to occur and at the same time acts as a contributor of the teaching-learning process, capable of supporting, impeding or limiting the learning opportunities available (Hakimzadeh et al., 2013). Teaching-Learning principles are best applied to the situation when the nurse is keen on pursuing interactive learning. In this teaching-learning approach, the nurse interacts with the clients on an individual basis. The one-on-one individual attention improves practicability since it ensures that every individual participates in the learning process. The nurse in the course of teaching is tasked with the role of helping clients to assess their current exercise plan. During the assessment, the nurse is able to gauge the limits of the client’s body and advise him/her accordingly. The nurse also gets the chance to correct the client in case of errors in the way they conduct the exercise. The brochures which the clients take home are also useful tools in integrating the knowledge learnt to daily life. The brochures restates concepts considered helpful in the lesson learnt and uses positive reinforcement since the client who successfully completes a certain tasks feels accomplished. The feeling of accomplishment is a reward that stimulates further learning. Print-programmed instruction is beneficial since it can help the client to make reference when needed. The organization of the information also helps the learner to proceed at their own pace, and also facilitates active learning. References Bakan, G., & Akyol, A. D. (2007). Theory-guided interventions for adaptation to heart failure. JAN: Original Research, 596-608. Bradshaw, M. J. (2011). Effective Learning: What Teachers Need to Know. Retrieved from http://samples.jbpub.com/9781284030990/030990_CH01_V2XX.pdf Decker, S., Utterback, V. A., Thomas, M. B., Mitchell, M., & Sportsman, S. (2011). Assessing Continued Competency Through Simulation: A Call for Stringent Action. Nursing Education Perspectives, 120-125. Edgecombe, K., Seaton, D. P., Monahan, K., Meyer, D. S., LePage, S., & Erlam, G. (2013). Clinical Simulation in Nursing: A Literature Review and Guidelines for Practice. Wellington: Ako Aotearoa, National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence. Hakimzadeh, R., Ghodrati, A., Karamdost, N., Ghodrati, H., & Mirmosavi, J. (2013). Factors Affecting the Teaching-Learning in Nursing Education. GSE Journal of education, 174-184. Read More