Nurse education is necessary, but there are ways to make it easier for students. For example, there are traditional competencies, competency-based education, and strategies to teach students to be more diverse.
Diversity in the nursing student body
Diversity in the UNCW nursing student body is essential to successful nurse education. It can promote positive health outcomes, provide a more diversified experience for patients, and reduce health inequities.
Despite the importance of diversity in the nursing profession, there are several barriers to increasing diversity. For example, the lack of culturally diverse staff limits nurses’ understanding of their patients’ backgrounds. In addition, the lack of affordable education prevents minorities from pursuing nursing degrees.
Nursing faculty must make an effort to include diversity in their curriculum. This can be done through several techniques, including training on factors affecting academic success. In addition, clinical assignments should consider the needs of students with diverse backgrounds.
Educators should encourage students to pursue programs that involve mentoring or internships with a diverse group of students. Students should seek mentors with similar backgrounds, and colleges should consider partnerships with organizations supporting and advocating for minority populations.
Traditional competencies
There has been a growing interest in identifying the unique differences between second-degree nursing students and traditional BSN counterparts. The goal is to better understand how second-degree nursing students can improve their clinical competencies.
Second-degree students have greater motivation to learn, a strong work ethic, and the ability to self-direct their learning. They also have a more critical approach to learning. Nonetheless, second-degree students did not show significantly greater competencies in 17 primary nursing care areas or in various necessary thinking skills.
Nevertheless, second-degree students did show an improved perception of clinical competence. In addition to the knowledge they acquired during their first two years of education, they also gained additional competencies in various simulated healthcare settings.
Students were also able to identify high-quality skills and made several attempts to pass all of their tests. However, instructors reported that this approach was challenging due to a large number of nursing students, the limited facilities of some schools, and the time required to administer various tests.
Competency-based education
Competency-based nursing education has become an essential part of the academic landscape, and it has the potential to increase efficiency in both learning and care delivery. In addition, it provides a structure for educators to develop competency-based curricula and addresses many of the concerns associated with the traditional model.
Unlike traditional higher education programs, CBE offers students more flexibility in completing their studies. It does not require a hard seat time or a set number of weeks for completion and allows students to progress at their own pace. Ultimately, CBE can help address a shortage of nurses in various settings.
The first step in implementing CBE in a school is to define the required competencies of graduates. In doing so, leadership will need to engage the entire teaching staff in developing ideas for mastery. These ideas may include a more detailed pedagogical framework and assessment and coaching methods.
Once competencies have been defined, faculty will scaffold the learning experience and provide tutoring and assistance. Students will also need to be evaluated and tested on their mastery of the competencies.
Teaching strategies
As a nurse educator, you should equip yourself with innovative technologically-driven learning techniques. These techniques can help you improve student engagement and retention. They also offer opportunities for students to build their clinical and soft skills.
Educators use many different teaching strategies. Aside from providing effective and engaging lectures, they can also enhance the learning experience through interactive presentations.
Creating real-life scenarios for your students is an effective way to teach patients to care. Using manikins, you can simulate actual patient care conditions. This will engage your students and encourage them to practice their decision-making skills.
Interactive learning strategies include problem-based learning, clinical nurse presentations, and workshops. This is essential for nursing educators who want to improve their students’ academic engagement.
For example, a jigsaw technique allows students to split their projects into small parts and complete each piece independently. They then work together to create a more comprehensive project.
Another strategy that encourages active participation in debate. This helps develop critical thinking and public speaking skills.
