Facilitation
Building rapport with a patient or client is essential in nursing, as this helps to create trust. In clinical, some students are shy and uncomfortable starting a conversation with their patients. I will stay with the students and start conversing with their clients while including my student, who then feels less shy to communicate. Medication administration is one of the most stressful times for students in clinical. Therefore, I will demonstrate how to correctly perform the medication rights and checks in the medication room of the assigned unit. I will also give each student a mini card with the listed ten medication rights.
Students are also highly stressed and nervous about performing a head-to-toe assessment on their clients. To support and guide the student’s skills and learning, I provide them with the assessment form, so they know what I am looking for and what they are being assessed on. I have also created a head-to-toe assessment step-by-step guide with photos, which I made from their textbook as a guideline.
I am aware that our students may need more than Academic support. I need to be compassionate. Spending time to know each student has helped me in the past realize that a student requires support from our Growth and Harmony and Wellness team, coaching and tutoring, or simply guidance to resources on how to take notes or organize their tasks effectively. I am very transparent with my students regarding what I expect, and I want them to be transparent with me regarding what they expect from me. Having honest conversations is vital. I don’t think learning should be a tricky maze. My students have mostly shared that my positivity and calmness have been helpful to them throughout their clinical. (See some of my student Feedback)