Teaching thoughtful practice: narrative pedagogy in addictions education

Exploring the experiences of staff working at an opiate assisted treatment clinic: An interpretive descriptive study

There have been many advances in harm reduction over the past three decades. One of the newest approaches is the provision of medical grade heroin to people with opiate addiction, known as opiate assisted treatment (OAT). There is one clinic in North America which provides this service. The goal of this study was to uncover how clinic staff provide care to those who attend this clinic, their perspectives on how the clinic program impacted them and their patients, and their opinions about the program itself. This was a qualitative study with an interpretive descriptive methodology underpinned by critical social theory. Convenience sampling yielded 22 participants - 18 nurses, two social workers and two peer support workers. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify recurring, converging and contradictory patterns of interaction, key concepts and emerging themes. The study location was the OAT clinic located in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, BC. The findings were organized around the following six themes: from chaos to stability, it's not all roses, a little preparation would be good, putting the patient at the centre, the stigma hasn't gone away, and the clinic is life transforming. Taken together, these themes indicate the complexities of working in this environment. The findings can guide clinic staff, including nurses, in how they provide care to patients with addiction problems and also provide direction for policy makers on harm reduction planning. CONTRIBUTION OF THE PAPER: What is already known about the topic? What does this paper add?

Developing skills for teaching: reflections on the lecture as a learning tool for the novice midwife educator

This paper explored how I, as a novice midwife educator in a Higher Education Institution, utilised my reflections on the preparation, delivery and evaluation of a lecture to develop my teaching skills. My personal teaching and learning philosophy was informed by humanism. Reflecting on my teaching and learning philosophy, and the teaching and learning theories that guided the session, enabled me to identify aspects of my teaching that required further development. Similarly, the process permitted me to recognise positive aspects that I could take forward and build upon in my professional development as an educator. The key learning for me as a novice educator is outlined, with an emphasis placed on preparation and strategic question formulation.