Introduction: Partnering to Co-Create Learning

How do I handle common issues that occur when students are in nursing homes for clinical experiences? What are good learning experiences for students in nursing homes?

To introduce you to this topic, Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FAAN, provides her viewpoint. Click the play button to listen.

Christine Mueller, PhD, RN, FAAN Dr. Christine Mueller, Chair,
Adult and Gerontological Health Co-operative Unit at the University of Minnesota, School of Nursing
Transcript

Who is the most obvious person in the nursing home to teach a nursing student how to bathe a resident with dementia? The answer is a nursing assistant. This module emphasizes the important partnership between faculty and nursing home staff for teaching nursing students. My experience is that the best clinical experiences for students in nursing homes happen when the both the nursing faculty and the nursing staff (RNs, LP/VNs, and CNAs) view themselves as the ‘teachers’ for students. It’s tempting for nursing home staff to view the day that the students are in the nursing home taking care of residents as ‘having a lighter day’. Developing this partnership and collaborating to provide innovative and creative learning experiences for students takes time. It also helps when there is consistent faculty with students at the nursing home to build the relationship between the faculty and staff. This partnership also requires collaborative problem solving when issues arise with students in the clinical setting. Several examples of common problems and conflicts are illustrated in this module, accompanied by how they can be addressed and resolved by nursing home staff and faculty partnering in genuine ways. The module will also provide you with a repertoire of learning experiences and assignments that can be used with a clinical experience in a nursing home.

http://nursing-media.ahc.umn.edu/geriatrics-site/resources/partnering/introduction.php