Student-centred learning

Adult students need to be active participants in their learning. As a Preceptor you need to encourage students to find the solutions or answers to the questions and problems they put to you. Preceptors worry that they need to have all the answers to students' queries. It is important to let the students know that as a life-long learner you are actively seeking current information to inform your practice on a daily basis.

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Motivation

One task of the Preceptor is to provide students with the motivation to learn. This can be done by creating a learning environment in which the students feel at ease, they feel comfortable contributing, and they feel safe to ask questions. By understanding the learning needs and expectations of the students you will be able to identify what motivates them.

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Activity-based

The way that nursing practice is constructed will limit the activities that students will be involved in and the choices that they can make for themselves. Your role is to ensure that students experience a broad range of activities appropriate to their stage of learning.

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Review/reinforce

Review

It is important to evaluate students' understanding of information that you are presenting to them. This can be done in many ways, for example by asking comprehension questions, getting the students to demonstrate what has been presented, or by having a group discussion of a clinical scenario around the topic.

Reinforce

Positive reinforcement in the form of timely, constructive feedback is a vital aspect of adult learning. It should be based on how well the student’s actual performance met the preset performance standard. Suggestions for change should be specific, prompt and frequent and you can also reinforce using praise. It is always necessary to offer constructive criticism in a practice context. For criticism to be constructive you need to indicate to the student the positive aspects of their practice and give them clear guidelines of the changes that you think are necessary. To do this ask the student what they could do differently, how they think they could improve and then provide your suggestions for improvement.

Remember, safety is of primary concern and every effort should be made to ensure the safety of patients and students. Sometimes to ensure safety you may make the decision to remove a student from practice. If you have any concerns regarding a student please notify the academic responsible as soon as possible.

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Transfer

Students will have theoretical understandings that they need to connect (transfer) to their clinical practice. As a Preceptor you need to ensure that this is occurring.

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Interest

Usually nursing practice provides intense interest for students and thus is an ideal stimulus for learning. Remember how tiring nursing practice can be for the newcomer when you are planning any educational sessions for students. The end of the day is not usually a good time to do anything other than debriefing. Often students are more interested if you self-disclose some of your own experiences of nursing when you are teaching.

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Environment/enthusiasm

Environment

Hospitals are not ideal environments for small group learning. There may be some areas that can be utilised for sessions. Students need to know that only the group can hear what they are saying and therefore holding tutorials in public spaces is unacceptable.

The psychosocial environment is just as important. Do the students feel accepted, supported and respected? Consider if you need to establish some group rules, such as freedom to speak, waiting for someone to finish speaking first before responding, respecting each others' opinions and confidentiality of what is discussed.

Numerous studies have been conducted which explore the relationship between students and Preceptors. In these studies students clearly indicate that this relationship is the most influential factor in their clinical experience. It is essential to consider and reflect on your performance as a Preceptor. For example how do you behave and speak towards students? How do you interact with colleagues and patients in the presence of students? Do you think the students respect you?

Enthusiasm

 Your enthusiasm as a Preceptor will influence and shape how a student might perceive nursing practice. Preceptors are at the interface of the university, community and nursing practice, therefore a commitment to the role will not only be evident but is vital to the success of the program.

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Bibliography

Jarvis, Peter, 1995, Adult and continuing education: theory and practice, Routledge, London and New York.

Knowles, Malcom, 1990, Chapter 3, 'A theory of adult learning: adragogy', in Knowles, Malcom, The adult learner: a neglected species, 4 th ed., Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, pp. 27-65.

Leicester , M. & Field, J., 2000, Lifelong learning: education across the lifespan, Routledge Falmer, London.

Little, D., McAllister, J., Priebe, R., 1991, Adult learning in vocational education, Deaking University , Geelong , Victoria.

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