A model to teach concomitant patient communication during psychomotor skill development

Student Ultrasound Education, Current Views and Controversies; Who Should be Teaching?

Acquiring diagnostic ultrasound competencies and skills is crucial in modern health care, and achieving the practical experience is vital in developing the necessary anatomy interpretation and scan acquisition skills. However, traditional teaching methods may not be sufficient to provide hands-on practice, which is essential for this skill acquisition. This paper explores various modalities and instructors involved in ultrasound education to identify the most effective approaches. The field of ultrasound instruction is enriched by the diverse roles of physicians, anatomists, peer tutors, and sonographers. All these healthcare professionals can inspire and empower the next generation of ultrasound practitioners with continuous training and support. Physicians bring their clinical expertise to the table, while anatomists enhance the understanding of anatomical knowledge through ultrasound integration. Peer tutors, often medical students, provide a layer of social congruence and motivation to the learning process. Sonographers provide intensive practical experience and structured learning plans to students. By combining different instructors and teaching methods, success can be achieved in ultrasound education. An ultrasound curriculum organized by experts in the field can lead to more efficient use of resources and better learning outcomes. Empowering students through peer-assisted learning can also ease the burden on faculty. Every instructor must receive comprehensive didactic training to ensure high-quality education in diagnostic ultrasound.

'Gear up and get ready': Collaborative curriculum for radiographers supporting percutaneous nephrolithotomy in the operating theatre

INTRODUCTION

Newly qualified radiographers often find working in the operating theatre (OT) challenging and intimidating. These perceptions, which inhibit confidence, may hinder their effectiveness in interprofessional teamwork, which may in turn adversely affect patient outcomes. A collaborative education programme was designed, building upon the foundations of competency-based education (CBE) and simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) to examine its potential in mitigating these perceptions. The objective of this research was to assess participants' experience and level of competency after attending the curated collaborative educational programme.

METHODS

The programme was developed based on the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) model and comprises two teaching and learning phases: educational session and simulation. A collaborative approach was undertaken to develop an assessment checklist for the interprofessional simulation. Requirements for the simulation, such as scenario design, information and storyboard, task trainer, logistics, and learners' briefing, debrief, and feedback, were identified and assembled. The radiographers' performance was recorded using a practical skills assessment checklist and a theory assessment.

RESULTS

Twelve radiographers participated and showed improvement in their self-rating of learning objectives before and after the programme. The median (interquartile range) score achieved in the theory assessment, out of a possible of 11, was 9.00 (7.75-9.50). The median (interquartile range) score achieved in the simulation component, out of a possible of 16, was 15.00 (14.00-15.00). There was statistically significant difference in self-perceived performance in all learning objective domains.

CONCLUSION

The findings from the programme were promising. The use of simulation and an assessment checklist proved to be useful learning tools in preparing newly qualified radiographers for work in the OT.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Assessment checklists are valuable tools that should be considered to facilitate teaching and learning. The use of interprofessional simulation activities can support radiographers in developing knowledge, professional skills, and clinical competency. It should be conducted in a timely manner to facilitate the introduction to role understanding and effective communication.

Evaluation of therapeutic communication education for nursing students based on constructivist learning environments: A systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Education on therapeutic communication has been emphasized in nursing education. However, few studies have used an educational framework to develop educational interventions, such as the instructional design model for Jonassen's Constructivist Learning Environments. Based on the model of Constructivist Learning Environments, this study aimed to analyze educational interventions on therapeutic communication for nursing students and propose a model for therapeutic communication education for nurse educators.

DESIGN

A systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

The terms "nursing," "students," "therapeutic," and "communication" were used to search for studies in English conducted between 2000 and 2022 in four databases (PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Plus with Full Text, and Cochrane Library CENTRAL).

REVIEW METHODS

Two researchers independently screened the titles and abstracts of the original studies, followed by the full texts. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0 for randomized controlled trials and Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Non-Randomized Studies for quasi-experimental studies were used to evaluate the eligible studies. This review adopted the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

RESULTS

Twelve studies were included in this review. Among the six instructional components of the model for Constructivist Learning Environments, the most commonly used were question/case/problem, cognitive tool, and conversational/collaboration tool. Among the three instructional methods of the model, coaching was the most frequently used. Therefore, an instructional design model for effective therapeutic communication education for nursing students was proposed based on Constructivist Learning Environments.

CONCLUSIONS

Employing an instructional design, such as Constructivist Learning Environments, can effectively promote the therapeutic communication education of nursing students.

Undergraduate nursing students' learning experiences of a telehealth clinical practice program during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurse education institutions are required to create innovative and diverse educational methods to ensure the continued learning of undergraduate nursing students. We developed a telehealth clinical practice program to address this challenge.

OBJECTIVES

We explored the students' learning experiences of our telehealth clinical practice program by qualitatively analyzing student reports.

METHODS

The participants were fourth-year undergraduate students who had taken the telehealth clinical practice program at Hiroshima University. Data were collected as reports from the participants during clinical practice and analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 59 students who completed the practical training, 26 agreed to participate in the study (consent rate: 44.1%). Sixteen themes emerged from the analysis as the students' learning experiences, and were classified into four thematic categories: (1) recognition of continued self-improvement required to become a nurse and development of a sense of ethics, (2) improvement of knowledge and practical skills in chronic care nursing, (3) acquisition of telehealth skills, and (4) learning through modeling and teamwork, and improvement of self-efficacy. Interacting with persons through telehealth provided an opportunity to learn directly about persons' lives and their experiences of illness, and helped participants develop a sense of responsibility and ethical nursing.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study findings indicate that undergraduate nursing students perceived that their attitude, knowledge and skill acquisition improved through this program. We believe that telehealth can have a place as a teaching strategy and this telehealth clinical practice program can be further enhanced the learning effects by combining it with face-to-face training and multidisciplinary education in the future.

A survey of Australian sonographer psychomotor teaching practices

OBJECTIVE

To report on the findings of a survey of sonographer skill-teaching practices in Australia using the SonoSTePs tool.

METHOD

A cross-sectional survey of all qualified sonographers registered with the Australian Sonographer Accreditation Registry.

RESULTS

The 528 responses showed the use of a two-step skill-teaching approach to teach scanning skills and the incorporation of additional instructional practices to support a learner's initial acquisition of scanning skills, which include: providing coaching and guidance as the skill is practised; performing physical guidance; providing immediate error correction; and providing end-task feedback. Based on our findings, sonographer skill-teaching practices fall short of best pedagogical approaches.

CONCLUSION

There is a pressing need to identify the optimal pedagogical approaches to teach complex psychomotor scanning skills. Research is required to ensure that the scanning skills are taught efficiently and that the pedagogical approaches to teach scanning skills foster the learner's long-term retention of the skill. There is also an accompanying need for sonographers involved in teaching scanning skills to have knowledge of the motor-learning theories and principles related to teaching a complex psychomotor skill.

Embedding fundamental care in the pre-registration nursing curriculum: Results from a pilot study

International evidence suggests nursing is not providing fundamental care consistently or adequately, resulting in poor outcomes for patients and healthcare systems. One possible reason for this inadequate care delivery is nursing education, with fundamental care often implicit or invisible in nursing curricula. To understand how best to teach fundamental care to pre-registration (pre-licensure) students, we developed and piloted a six-week intervention that incorporated into the first-year curriculum a more explicit focus on fundamental care. A conceptual fundamental care framework was used to guide students' learning, and clinical skills sessions were structured to reinforce the framework's conceptual understanding and enable students to practice delivering fundamental care in an integrated manner. The intervention's impact was explored via a pre-post survey and focus groups. The survey demonstrated that the intervention did not affect students' ability to identify patients' fundamental care needs; however, focus groups showed the intervention assisted students in understanding the complexity of fundamental care and its importance to patients' experiences. The pilot provides preliminary evidence on the importance of embedding fundamental care into nursing curricula early and explicitly, and emphasising the integrated nature of such care, particularly through structured debriefs, consistent terminology, and opportunities for students to experience care as a patient.