The purpose of the presentation is to share an innovative approach to teaching undergraduate BSN students’ concepts and practices essential to maternal child nursing prior to inpatient clinical experiences.
Methods:
In an effort to improve confidence and ensure acceptable skill level in the maternal child specialty areas, all didactic and simulation experiences were front-end loaded during the first two weeks of the semester. This concept was developed to improve knowledge of maternal child principles to promote safe practices in various inpatient clinical areas of maternal child health. Evidence-based studies have shown the use of laboratory simulators help students become better providers of quality care, increases confidence in the delivery of care, and provides a safe learning environment (Samawi, Miller, & Haras, 2014; Kim, Park, & Shin, 2016).
Clinical readiness after simulation activities is essential to success and deeper understanding of nurses processes of the maternal child settings. A six question qualitative survey evaluated students’ perceptions of teaching methods employed by maternal child faculty. Students appreciated the novel teaching technique. They expressed an increase in knowledge and confidence prior to entering the specialty areas. The didactic portion of the class afforded the opportunity to understand the evidence-based concepts prior to simulation experiences. The simulation activities led to increased confidence in students’ abilities to apply safe quality best practices.
Results:
Students appreciated the novel teaching technique. They expressed an increase in knowledge and confidence prior to entering the specialty areas. The didactic portion of the class afforded the opportunity to understand the evidence-based concepts prior to simulation experiences. The simulation activities led to increased confidence in students’ abilities to apply safe quality best practices.
Conclusion:
Teaching undergraduate nursing students maternal child concepts is both challenging and rewarding. Preparing lectures to stimulate students while maintaining their interest in the content is difficult. The students need to be able to apply the knowledge acquired from the classroom and textbooks to inpatient clinical settings. Empowering students to become self-directed learners and promoting the development of critical thinking skills is a key component of teaching. Providing students with the resources to be successful in the classroom while holding them accountable for their own learning leads to academic success (Yang & Jiang, 2014). Utilizing innovative methods of instruction to accommodate the diverse learning skills of individuals’ aids in promoting confidence and success in the clinical setting (Davis, 2013). Students need to be engaged in their learning; they need to actively participate in classroom and simulation experiences (Brannan, White, & Long, 2016; Sin, Sok, Hyun, & Kim, 2015).