Teaching as a Health Care Provider (Module 4)

Q: What sort of teaching is done in your professional role? Is there any nursing/health care provider role that does not involve teaching in some manner?

     I work in a surgical area in the hospital. A large percentage of my day is spent teaching patients. I take care of patients who have undergone surgery and are going home the same day. Teaching these patients how to take care of themselves is critical to their successful recovery. Many times patients are unaware of any restrictions they may have such as showering, special diets, and management of equipment. Mostly the kind of teaching I give is explanation with a visual aid, or handout. When teaching patients, I give them an educational handout to follow along, then I explain to them how they need to take care of themselves at home, things to expect, things to watch out for etc. I then have them explain their understanding back to me. Many times, the teaching that patients and their families require is more in depth and require demonstration such as how to remove a foley catheter, or check a blood sugar. In these situations, I provide a handout with thorough instructions. I then, explain to them how to perform the skill while having them observe me do it. I then have a patient or a family member demonstrate the skill for me so that I can verify their understanding. I then provide them with resources in case they have questions. 

     I don't believe that there is any type of nursing or health care provider role that does not require some degree of teaching each day. As nurses we are constantly explaining things to patients and their families to help them better understand their situations. Teaching is key in patient care and can help patients and family feel so much more at ease while in the hospital.

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Information systems in the work place (Module 2)

          When an information system is being implemented into a hospital nurses are usually the ones impacted most. As a nurse, I could be involved in designing, electing, evaluating and implementing any type of information system. For example, if a computer charting system were being introduced to staff in a hospital, who better to give their input and test out the program than a nurse? Nurses are responsible for much of the information that is generated in these types of information systems. I could be involved by giving my input on what the charting would include, what types of prompts there are and the order in which they appear. I could also be involved by designing the look of program. I could assist in implementing the program by participating in teaching sessions with staff members and helping people manage through the new program. Nurses should always be involved in changes like this are made because they are the ones that are impacted and use them the most. They can give the best ideas and feedback as to what works and what doesn't. 

Hello Classmates :) (Module 1)

Hi everyone,

          My name is Laura and I am a student in the Masters of Nursing Education Program. I currently work as a Registered Nurse in Surgical Services. This class is going to be very valuable as I continue this Masters program and as I progress in my nursing practice. Graduate level nurses need to be well versed in information management because many different types of technology are being used more and more every day in medical and nursing practice. It is the dominant means by which we progress, teach, learn and communicate with one another. Hospitals all over the country are becoming more and more advanced technologically and we as nurses and other health care workers must be able to keep up and use technology as a resource. Paper charting is becoming less and less prevalent. All medical records, charting, billing, learning modules, education, and much more is being done on computers. This requires much effort by everyone to learn how to use these resources. That is why I am excited for this course. It will give all of us the rare opportunity to learn in depth the proper and most efficient way to use the technology we have been given.