How can nurse teachers be more effective in practice settings?

Differences and commonalities in difficulties faced by clinical nursing educators and faculty in Japan: a qualitative cross-sectional study

Background

To clarify the current state of communication between clinical nursing educators and nursing faculty members and the perceived difficulties encountered while teaching nursing students in clinical training in Japan.

Methods

We collected data via focus group interviews with 14 clinical nursing educators, two nursing technical college teachers, and five university nursing faculty members. Interview transcripts were coded to express interview content as conclusions for each unit of meaning. Similar compiled content was categorized.

Results

Difficulties in providing clinical training mentioned by both clinical educators and faculty members were classified into four categories: “difficulties with directly exchanging opinions,” “mismatch between school-required teaching content and clinical teaching content,” “difficulties with handling students who demonstrate a low level of readiness for training,” and “human and time limitations in teaching.” In some categories, the opinions of educators matched those of the faculty members, whereas in others, the problems differed according to position.

Conclusions

The Japanese culture and working conditions may affect communication between clinical educators and faculty members; however, a direct “opinion exchange” between them is crucial for improving the clinical teaching environment in Japan.

Exploring how nurse lecturers maintain clinical credibility

The role of the nurse lecturer is changing. There is growing pressure from the government and professionals alike to recruit nurse teachers who posses both practical and recent experience of nursing [Department of Health, 1999. Making a Difference: Strengthening the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Contribution to Health and Health Care. DOH, London; UKCC, 2000. Standards for the Preparation of Teachers of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. UKCC, London]. Whilst much of the literature available suggests a growing concern amongst practitioners, students and nurse educationalists themselves about the importance of being ;clinically credible', what is not clear is how tangible it is to maintain currency and clinical credibility. In addition, the term ;clinical credibility' is in itself ill-defined. An exploratory study was undertaken within one higher education institution which sought to seek the views of nurse lecturers. The principles of ethnography were applied to this research. The sample included six of the most recently appointed nurse lecturers within one academic faculty who taught predominantly on pre-registration programmes. Data from individual and focus group interviews was analysed using a thematic content analysis approach. The findings are discussed which embrace the concepts of: working ;hands on' in the clinical area, clinical currency, transferability of skills, clinical visibility and role development. Recommendations for the development of professional practice are offered.

The importance of dialogue in student nurses' clinical education

AIM

Develop in-hospital tutorials where the hospital unit's nurse preceptor, the college teacher and student nurses discuss clinical experiences and together acquire knowledge.

METHOD

Literary research combined with examples from a clinical tutorial/discussion group project with B.A. student nurses, clinical nurses and college teacher.

CONCLUSION

Clinical reflection groups may be an important step towards accomplishing stability in a collaborative effort between hospital and college to help students become knowledgeable, perceptive, reflecting, caring and effective nurses. The teacher's role in clinical practice is changing. The learning method described in this text, however resource-demanding, furthers close collaboration between hospital and college, and success depends on the educator's and clinician's collective competency. Our experience is that all parties concerned found that they gained a more holistic view of nurse education through participating in a forum focused on students' experiences through patient histories.

The role of the nurse teacher in clinical practice: an empirical study of Finnish student nurse experiences

This paper focuses on the role of the nurse teacher (NT) in supporting student nurse education in clinical practice. The paper draws on the outcomes of a study aimed at exploring student nurse experiences of the pedagogical relationship with NTs during their clinical placements. The participants (N=549) were student nurses studying on pre-registration nursing programmes in Finland. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation and ANOVA. The study showed that the core aspect of NTs work in clinical practice revolved around the relationship between student, mentor and NT. Higher levels of satisfaction were experienced in direct proportion to the number of meetings held between the student and NT. However, whilst the importance of this relationship has been reported elsewhere, an additional aspect of this relationship emerged in the data analysis. Those NT who facilitated good face to face contact also used other methods to enhance the relationship, particularly e-mail, virtual learning environment and texting. This outcome suggests that NT's interpersonal and communicative skills are as important as their clinical knowledge and skills in promoting effective learning in the clinical practice area. The paper argues for such approaches to be utilised within the emergent opportunities afforded by new communication and educational technologies.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Self-Determination in Elderly People

The purpose of this study was to compare nursing students' perceptions of self-determination in elderly patients before and after clinical training in long term care institutions as a part of their course in gerontological nursing. A pre- post-test design was employed. The data were collected by questionnaires completed by students at one nurse education organization college in Finland (pre-test n ± 120, response rate 95%; post-test n ± 115, response rate 91%). The students' perceptions of elderly patients' self-determination were more positive after their clinical training period concerning to what extent elderly patients are able to control their treatment and what kind of support they received from nurses to exercise their self-determination. The students' perceptions remained stable concerning how important self-determination is to elderly patients, and how willing and knowledgeable they are about using their self-determination. Ethics teaching, together with high quality clinical training placements, should be assured early during nursing studies.

A phenomenographic study of registered nurses’ understanding of their role in student learning—An Australian perspective

BACKGROUND

Students may be 'buddied' with registered nurses during their clinical experience since the designated clinical facilitator cannot be available for each student at all times. Little is known about the way registered nurses understand this informal role.

OBJECTIVES

The rationale for this study was to gain an insight of the variation of understanding registered nurses have of their role with students, and explored the qualitatively different ways registered nurses perceive their role with students on clinical experience and the implications of this understanding for student learning.

DESIGN

A phenomenographic approach was used to identify the variation of understanding and meaning of the role of the registered nurse with students on clinical practice from the perspective of the registered nurse. Phenomenography is a field of descriptive research concerned with the variation in ways people experience and understand similar phenomena.

SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

A purposive sample of 30 registered nurses from 15 public and private hospitals in central and south eastern Queensland, Australia.

METHODS

Individual semi-structured interviews from a final sample of 28 interviews were analysed to identify Categories of Description.

RESULTS

Eight variations of understanding registered nurses have of their informal role with students were identified. The registered nurses' understanding varies from a focus that is 'student-centred', to 'completion of workload-centred', to 'registered nurse control', to a preference for no contact with students. As a consequence some students may have positive learning experiences while others will have limited learning opportunities.

CONCLUSIONS

The research highlights the varied ways registered nurses understand their role with students that may promote or impede the quality of student learning and development to meet professional competency standards. Formal recognition of the complexity of the registered nurse role by health care agencies and tertiary education providers is essential to ensure registered nurses have adequate preparation for their role with students.

A South West regional survey to identify education staff development needs in clinical skills and practice

This paper reports tentative findings from a survey (undertaken in 2001) of education staff employed to teach nurses and midwives in four highereducation institutions in the South West of England, with specific focus on answers regarding clinical skills and practice within a wider aim of evaluating training needs. A 57 item self-administered postal questionnaire was sent out to 760 educators, 426 were returned with a response rate of 56%. The results were analysed using SPSS version 9, using descriptive statistics focusing on the responses of HE staff and lecturer practitioners on joint appointments. Findings suggest HE staff teach a limited range of (defined) clinical skills, they have varying and wide definitions of clinical skills, less confidence in teaching skills in practice, minimal experience in working in practice settings and difficulties in engagement in practice. They continue to experience role diversity and a wide variation in meeting clinical demands for clinical competence. Definitions of clinical practice and practice skill are explored in relation to the need for nurse teachers to have ‘recent and practical experience of nursing’. A range of education roles are explored.

Clinical education facilitators' and post-registration paediatric student nurses' perceptions of the role of the clinical education facilitator

In Ireland the past two decades have witnessed the introduction of various clinical 'support' personnel under various titles into clinical areas. However, an identifiable gap remains with a degree of ambiguity over who has prime responsibility for clinical teaching. Now, a new post has emerged, that of clinical education facilitators (CEFs). To date this role has not been empirically explored. The purpose of this study was to explore the CEF role from the perspective of facilitators themselves and post-registration paediatric nursing students, one cohort the CEFs have responsibility for. Using an exploratory descriptive design focus group interviews were employed to collect data from a volunteer sample. The CEF role emerged as diverse, complex and multifaceted with the CEF coordinating factors in the clinical environment to make it function as an effective learning environment for students. Four main strategies were employed: facilitating transition, maximising learning opportunities, preparing the clinical environment and providing support. This study offers preliminary evidence towards clarification of the nature and purpose of the CEF role. The central recommendation is the urgent need to define the role so all stakeholders share a common understanding of the activities of the role holder.

An analysis of clinical teacher behaviour in a nursing practicum in Taiwan

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to identify and assess the teaching behaviours (knowledge, attitudes and skills) observed in nurse educators as they taught in the clinical setting.

BACKGROUND

Many quantitative studies have defined and evaluated teaching effectiveness in the clinical area. Some of these studies established instruments to evaluate faculty effectiveness in the clinical setting; however, they tended to be so broad that they were of limited use in understanding clinical teaching behaviours in nursing education.

DESIGN

This study explored clinical teaching behaviours in a nursing practicum. Ten nurse educators taught 10 students in the medical-surgical unit at a hospital in Taiwan for about four weeks. Each teacher was observed by the researcher and one other observer for two days during regularly scheduled clinical teaching time.

METHODS

Data collection and analysis were done by a qualitative approach. Content analysis is a process of identifying, coding and categorizing the themes in the data.

CONCLUSION

The themes of clinical teaching that emerged from data analysis included teaching aims (task-oriented and learner-centred), teacher competence (teacher knowledge, instructional strategies, planning learning experience, teaching priorities, feedback and caring) and teaching commitment (professional identity and giving of self). These findings offer a holistic blueprint of clinical teaching for nursing faculty members, which will enhance the quality of nursing education.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Complexity in nursing education has increased as it is challenged to meet the needs of diverse populations in rapidly evolving and highly technical health-care settings. Clinical teachers must be enabled and empowered to provide students with appropriate knowledge and skills to meet the needs of patients. To develop students' professional nursing identity now and in the future, nurse educators have to commit themselves to both nursing and teaching in clinical settings. More nurses need to be prepared for careers in education at the master's and doctoral levels.

Nurse education--the role of the nurse teacher

AIM

To explore and analyse the role of the nurse teacher.

BACKGROUND

This paper examines the issue of clinical credibility among nurse teachers which has been ongoing for over a decade. The move of nurse education from colleges of nursing to the Higher Education Institutes was seen in 1992. Since then, nurse teachers have been faced with the need to juggle the roles of teaching, administration, research and clinical support for students. Nursing students within these Higher Education Institutes require more than the traditional theoretical classroom teaching. Nurse teachers have a role beyond this in encouraging students to link theory with practice, and practice with theory. Therein lies a challenge for nurse teachers to ensure they remain credible within the clinical setting and continue to provide education and support, which is firmly grounded in both practice and theory.

METHOD

The authors have critically reviewed the evidence related to the role of the nurse teacher in an attempt to identify key concepts and ideas, assumptions, supporting examples and the implications for their role.

CONCLUSION

The role of the nurse teacher, it would appear, is a dynamic one that needs to engage actively the needs of the student. Nurses therefore need to be dynamic in their approach in order to respond to both local and global demands and ensure that students become competent, professional, knowledgeable and caring in their approach.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

This paper demonstrates the complex and ever changing role of the nurse teacher. This paper attempts to help nurse teachers understand the complex nature of their role.

Clinical teaching and support for learners in the practice environment

The purpose of planned clinical experience for students of nursing is primarily to provide students with the opportunity to develop their clinical skills, integrate theory and practice, and assist with their socialization into nursing. Nursing, in the main, is a practice-based profession. To this extent, it is essential that nurse education continues to have a strong practical element despite its full integration into higher education institutions (Department of Health, 1999). However, providing adequate support and supervision for learners is challenging. Undoubtedly, exacerbated by increasing numbers of learners, staff shortages and mentors training deficits. This article aims to critically analyse several strategies, which can be used to promote clinical learning.

Clinical education facilitators: a literature review

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this literature review, set within an Irish context, is to present a broad overview of former and existing clinical support personnel, explore the concept of facilitation and examine what is known about the role of the clinical education facilitator.

BACKGROUND

The importance of providing a supportive clinical environment to enhance clinical teaching and learning is strongly portrayed in the literature. While the past two decades have borne witness to various clinical support personnel, the literature identifies conflicting demands that these personnel face. No suggestions are advanced as to how to overcome these difficulties, which inevitably influence the quality and quantity of their clinical teaching role. An identifiable gap exists over who has prime responsibility for clinical teaching. It is timely that alternative possibilities for organizing clinical teaching are investigated. A new post emerging in practice settings is that of the clinical education facilitator who is meant to be the key linchpin in clinical areas for reducing the theory-practice gap.

METHOD

Relevant literature for this review was sourced using the computerized databases CINAHL, Medline and Synergy. Manual searching of relevant nursing journals and sourcing of secondary references extended the search. Government reports and other relevant documents were obtained through pertinent websites.

RESULTS

Papers that explicitly examined the concept of facilitation and explored the posts of clinical education facilitators were included; six research papers were accessed and reviewed. In addition seven non-empirical papers were included.

CONCLUSIONS

It is clear that considerable lack of role clarity resides over what constitutes clinical facilitation and the role of the clinical facilitator. Thus, it is paramount to strengthen this support role with Irish empirical evidence.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

A major advantage in having a ward-based clinical education facilitator is the benefit of having access to someone who can concentrate solely on clinical education and support with attempts to narrow the theory-practice divide.

The clinical activity of mental health nurse lecturers

Concerns have been expressed about the ability of mental health lecturers to prepare practitioners with the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to implement the National Service Framework for mental health. Specifically mental health nurse lecturers have been criticized for lacking clinical competence and credibility, and for being out of touch with developments in service delivery. This paper presents a selection of findings from a recent review into the clinical activity of mental health lecturers in higher education institutions in England. The issues discussed include roles in practice, questioning the value of face-to-face clinical work, the benefits of being clinically active, the difficulties of clinical academic roles, barriers to maintaining clinical activity, questioning the quality of the clinical workforce, and finally strategies to facilitate clinical activity. Whilst there is support among mental health nurse lecturers for the need to engage with practice at some level, there are inconsistencies in the ways that this is being achieved. Lecturers are, however, getting together to debate how best to keep up with changes in mental health practice and delivery.

Factors influencing theoretical knowledge and practical skill acquisition in student nurses: an empirical experiment

A previous qualitative study [Nurse Education Today 20 (2000) 499] investigated perceptions of nurse teachers, student nurses and preceptors of the theory-practice gap said to exist within nursing. One theme was views of how the theory-practice gap could be closed. A subsequent quantitative study is reported here, in which this theme was translated into three factors. A full factorial experimental design was used to study the effect of these factors on theoretical knowledge and practical skill acquisition in a sample of first year undergraduate student nurses from one institution of higher education (n=19). The effect of whether a nurse teacher or preceptor taught students theoretical elements relating to a clinical specialty, whether the nurse teacher and preceptor collaborated on the content of what was taught to students and whether students went straight to, or delayed the clinical specialty following theoretical input, was examined. The results demonstrated preceptors were more effective than nurse teachers in promoting theoretical knowledge relating to their clinical specialty. Collaboration between the preceptors and nurse teachers on teaching content was ineffective at increasing theoretical knowledge. Delay between theoretical input and clinical experience was not detrimental for medical placements and for rehabilitation placements, resulted in an improved theoretical knowledge.

Relationships with undergraduate nursing exchange students--a tutor perspective

BACKGROUND

Student exchange has been used increasingly in nursing education throughout Europe as a method of learning intercultural sensitivity. In the host country, each foreign student is assigned a personal tutor to enhance learning.

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe tutor-student relationships between Finnish nurse teachers and British exchange students from the tutors' perspective.

ETHICAL ISSUES

The researcher's close relationship with the study context and participants caused some ethical concerns, which will be discussed.

METHODS

The data consisted of tutorial session observations, research diary notes, group interviews and background questionnaires. They were analysed using Spradley's developmental research sequence method for ethnographic data.

FINDINGS

The tutoring relationship was pastoral and clinical rather than academic. The pastoral aspect of the relationship was essential in assisting the students to adjust to the stress of studying in a foreign country. On the other hand, tutors were unable to support all the students to overcome their culture shock. Tutors were uncertain about their role and did not integrate Finnish culture or practice into theory, but found their role pleasant.

CONCLUSIONS

A dialogic tutor-student relationship is important for learning intercultural sensitivity. Tutoring strategies should be developed to assist students' adjustment to the differences in the host culture and to encourage their reflection on personal, experiential and scientific cultural knowledge during their study abroad.

Clinical innovation for promoting family care in paediatric intensive care: demonstration, role modelling and reflective practice

AIM

To explore family caregiving problems in paediatric crisis care and methods that could be applied to move the abstraction of family care to development of specific family interventions.

BACKGROUND AND RATIONAL

Family centred care has been accepted as the ideal philosophy for holistic health care of children, but methods for its implementation are not well established. In paediatric health crises, family care requires special sensitivity to family needs and a type of complex nursing care for which many practitioners are not sufficiently prepared. Developing family sensitive models of intervention and finding a strategy for transfer of this knowledge to clinical practice is an important challenge facing family nursing today. Social learning theory provides a rich background to explore these issues.

CONCLUSIONS

Specific techniques of role modelling and reflective practice are suggested as effective approaches to teach family sensitive care in clinical settings where families are part of the care environment.

Nurse education in higher education: understanding cultural barriers to progress

Nurse education is established in higher education but nurse academics remain concerned about nursing's lack of equal status within the academy. This paper reports findings of a small study of nurse lecturers' views which support other published studies. It argues that cultural factors which contribute to nursing's problems gaining equal status include anti-intellectualism within nursing and academic denigration of practice. These cultural factors are linked to the history of women in higher education, the separation between intellectual education and practical, skill-based training, the low status of caring courses and the resulting mutual denigration of culturally opposed groups. Anti-intellectualism in nursing can be seen as a defensive reaction against an academic culture that defines practical activity as inferior to abstract thinking skills. This can lead to limited educational opportunities to examine the structural and cultural context of nursing. In Freire's view, this is a necessary part of education for freedom. Current cultural change, in nursing and higher education, including an emphasis on learning outcomes and transferable skills, provides new opportunities for nursing to contribute to educational change. Removing cultural barriers to the educated nurse is a responsibility shared by universities and by the nursing profession.

Clinical placements in mental health: are clinicians doing enough for undergraduate nursing students?

There are growing concerns identified in the literature about the lack of quality clinical placements in mental health for undergraduate nursing students. This study outlines an innovative student programme, designed and implemented by clinicians, committed to providing a quality clinical placement for students. The programme was evaluated by the use of an open-ended questionnaire administered to a sample of 10 undergraduate nursing students. Results of this evaluation suggested that the programme was able to provide a positive clinical experience in mental health for nursing students and is worthy of a more controlled investigation.

An interpretive study of the nurse teacher's role in practice placement areas

The role of the nurse teacher in the clinical area is widely debated in the literature, however there are few research studies that focus exclusively on this issue. Of note is the particular dearth of research from a Scottish perspective. This article reports on a research study which was designed to illuminate nurse teachers' experiences regarding their role in the practice placement area. An interpretive research approach was used in order to gain an understanding of the role of the nurse teacher in the clinical area. The study involved 18 nurse teachers, from three nursing departments across Scotland, taking part in focus group interviews. Five main themes are reported in this article: being an advisor, being a supporter, being a regulator, being an interpreter and being a networker. Findings from the study revealed that the nurse teachers have a multifaceted role which includes providing advice and support to trained staff and students, regulating professional standards, interpreting assessment documentation and networking with clinical staff.

The role of the personal tutor: a literature review

This paper comprises an extensive review of the literature surrounding the role of the personal tutor, which was conducted prior to an evaluation of the personal tutor system used within my own institution. There is agreement in the literature that student support is an important function of the nurse lecturer, but there is currently no consensus as to the most appropriate system of providing this support. Three distinct aspects of the personal tutor role emerged from the literature and are discussed in this paper:* Clinical role* Pastoral role* Academic role. Few research studies were identified in the literature search; this highlights the need for nurse lecturers to evaluate the effectiveness of support systems currently in place. There is also a need to undertake further research studies, in order to provide the evidence needed by nurse lecturers to determine the most appropriate model for student support.

Post-operative epidural analgesia: introducing evidence-based guidelines through an education and assessment process

The aim of this project was to re-introduce post-operative epidural analgesi on to two orthopaedic wards using an evidence-based practice approach. This was achieved through the provision of appropriate staff education and information, assessment of staff competence, and provision of relevant and appropriate staff support. An education programme was developed which included study days, ward-based teaching and the assessment of competence. The introduction of guidelines followed an audit cycle in order to measure the success of the education programme. All nursing staff involved in the project were asked to complete a questionnaire which assessed their knowledge of caring for patients with postoperative epidural analgesia. This was completed before and following the education programme. The outcome measures were: (i) successful completion of competence-based assessment; (ii) levels of knowledge as assessed by the knowledge questionnaire; and (iii) participant perceptions of the project. The results of the questionnaire demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge following the education programme. Participants commented on the importance of the ward-based teaching. They also felt that pain was controlled more effectively using this method of analgesia.

The theory-practice gap in nursing: the role of the nurse teacher

The increasingly complex requirements of today's nursing practitioners, have been accompanied by demands on nurse educators to look at new ways to facilitate learning in the clinical area (Camiah 1996). In recent years nursing education has undergone a period of major change in many countries through integrating with universities. While nurse educators are striving to respond to changes in education the dichotomy between the theoretical input taught in the classroom and what is practised or experienced on the wards remains a problem (Ashworth & Longmate 1993, Ferguson & Jinks 1994). Dale (1994) postulates that theory provides the basis for understanding the reality of nursing, it would seem reasonable, therefore, to assume that the content studied in the classroom correlates with what the student experiences on the ward. It should also follow that if a gap exists between theory and practice, efforts should be taken for its reduction (Rafferty et al. 1996). According to MacNeil (1997) many initiatives have been introduced in an effort to bridge the theory-practice gap and these have focused around the role of the nurse teacher. These changes in education are redefining the role of the nurse teacher, therefore, the part that they currently play and will play in the future needs to be carefully considered (Phillips et al. 1996b). The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the literature on the theory-practice divide in nursing. First, some of the reasons cited for its existence will be explored. Second, suggested ways of bridging the divide will be considered focusing on the role of the nurse teacher.

Faculty practice: a model to bridge the theory-practice divide

It has been suggested that as a result of nurse education withdrawing from the clinical setting and becoming established in institutions of higher education, there has been a separation of theory from practice. Recognition of the theory-practice gap by clinicians and professional bodies has led to calls for nurse educators to retain a clinical focus. Faculty practice is described and critically discussed as a model of practice to bridge the theory-practice divide. In this article, the author presents the results of a 6-month pilot study to implement such a model within a community trust, and suggests that the development of such initiatives will foster collaborative working and improve nurse education and patient care.

Collaborating with practitioners in teaching and research: a model for developing the role of the nurse lecturer in practice areas

Collaborating with practitioners in teaching and research: a model for developing the role of the nurse lecturer in practice areas The integration of nurse education with higher education in the United Kingdom, has highlighted an uncertainty over the clinical role of nurse lecturers. Although benefits have been identified from lecturers maintaining strong links with clinical practice, the evidence suggests that nurse lecturer participation in practice areas is limited. This paper reports a strategy for developing the clinical role of the nurse lecturer through collaborating with practitioners in teaching and research. An action research project designed to implement and evaluate a teaching programme for pre-registration nursing students was developed. The research aimed to evaluate the programme and identify the benefits for students, practitioners and the nurse lecturer in collaborating in teaching on the programme. Ethical approval was granted from the local research ethics committee. Data were collected in three ways: questionnaires to 17 students; focused interviews with nine practitioners; and analysis of the reflective diary kept by the lecturer. Findings identified the success of the teaching programme and also revealed substantial benefits for students, practitioners and the lecturer. Selected findings are used to demonstrate how the liaison, teaching, clinical practice and research elements of the nurse lecturer's clinical role could be developed. The project was small scale and grounded within a specific context and thus may not be applicable to other settings. However, it is suggested that collaboration between nurse educationalists and practitioners in this way offers a potential model for developing the clinical role of the nurse lecturer.

Bioscience in the pre-registration curriculum: finding the right teaching strategy

With the transition of pre-registration nursing programmes into higher education, a disproportionate number of problems have arisen in relation to the bioscience component of the curriculum. Therefore, a survey was undertaken to obtain the views of students (n = 294) and staff (n = 57) to identify effective teaching strategies to facilitate students' learning and understanding of this difficult area of the curriculum. In contrast to the staff, the majority of students found all three teaching strategies (lectures, tutorials and laboratory sessions) of approximately equal value to their learning and practice. Our findings suggest that students' problems with the biosciences could be ameliorated by adjustments in curriculum apportionment. Our data would support the continuation of lead lectures and laboratory work in bioscience. However, a tutorial system, specifically designed to overcome the particular difficulties experienced by nursing students in this area, is needed. This should augment, not replace, lectures and teaching laboratories. There was little indication that such a redistribution of resources would be favoured by the majority of the staff.

The clinical role of the nurse teacher: a conceptual framework

A small scale qualitative study explored the clinical role of the nurse teacher and concluded by proposing a conceptual framework that seeks to illustrate how nurse teachers manage the clinical aspect of their work. Three conceptual categories (role clarity, fitting in and role justification) are proposed as a means of describing how the respondents approached their clinical role.

The nurse teacher's clinical role now and in the future

The role of the nurse teacher in relation to the clinical setting has been debated for 20 years, yet it has been the subject of relatively few large studies. Recent studies led to inconclusive results, hence the nurse lecturer's clinical role remains an area of long-standing dispute. Changes in nurse education United Kingdom Central Council (UKCC) and the amalgamation of nurse education into higher education as part of the Strategy for Nursing, as well as the expansion of supernumerary status for student nurses, gave impetus to the search for a new clinical role for nurse lecturers. Research suggests that nurse teachers wish to maintain clinical contact, but the nature of this contact is vigorously debated at present. Lee, in reviewing the literature, concluded that this topic is highly contentious in terms of its nature, extent and purpose. She goes as far as to suggest that there is a need for empirical research to address the question as to whether there is a role for nurse lecturers in the clinical area. This paper examines some of the factors which influence the development of the clinical aspect of the role of nurse lecturers, explains how the author performed this role and the perceived benefits to students, mentors and the lecturer. It proposes a clinical role model based on the literature and the author's own personal experience as a 'clinical liaison lecturer' since the integration of nursing education into higher education. Key points The clinical role of the nurse teacher remains an area of long standing dispute Nurse lecturers wish to maintain clinical contact and maintain clinical competence, but in reality no consensus exists as to its meaning The mentor's role can be complemented by a clinically competent nurse lecturer who arguably should be able to teach in the classroom and the practice settings Using a triangular approach to reviewing student's experience, lecturers can update their clinical knowledge, demonstrate credibility, promote education-practice relations and ensure classroom teaching is relevant to current practice The establishment of guiding principles (recognized and agreed upon by service and educational managers) serves as a framework which nurse teachers can use to establish their own clinical role for each of their 'link' areas The nurse lecturer is in a good position to influence and maintain standards in nursing practice.

Benefits of nurse teachers returning to clinical practice

This article outlines an action research study developed to facilitate nurse teachers returning to clinical practice. The article explores how the teachers established partnerships with clinicians through which they were able to share the experience of returning to an area of nursing that they had previously only visited. It discusses four categories: expectations of self and others; entering someone else's world; more awareness of student needs; and teaching theory and practising nursing. These categories emerged following the analysis of journals, focus group interviews and individual interviews and led to a number of recommendations concerning the implications for other teachers wishing to return to clinical practice.

The nurse lecturer role in clinical practice conceptualized: helping clinical teachers provide optimal student learning

Despite the fairly wide reporting in the literature of the many roles of clinical supervision by the nursing teacher, little attention has been given to conceptualizing the relative priorities these roles take during the process of supervising nursing students in clinical practice. The purpose of this paper is to consider the manifestations and implications of conflicting roles when nurse lecturers undertake clinical supervision. Previously published research will provide working examples of issues in a conceptual framework for clinical teaching.

Lecturer practitioners: a literature review

Much of the existing literature on lecturer practitioners to date is comprised of the perspectives of individuals within the role and how they function in their specific setting. It is surprisingly difficult from this work, however, to define the role of lecturer practitioner. The authors were commissioned by a regional health authority to undertake a study of lecturer practitioners within that region. In the process of undertaking this study, a literature review was carried out. Whilst the authors found an abundance of literature surrounding the theory and practice gap, and the development of the lecturer practitioner role as one possible solution, they were not able to find a comprehensive review of the multifaceted aspects of the lecturer practitioner role. This paper is an attempt to provide such a review, and will address the following aspects: the need for lecturer practitioners; their origin within nursing and midwifery education; the development of the lecturer practitioner role; the debate surrounding academic and clinical credibility; and finally, the current situation for lecturer practitioners.