LEARNING TO LEARN PTrev_gk.QXD 2/6/09 15:05 Page i Learning to Learn in Nursing Practice LEARNING TO LEARN PTrev_gk.QXD 2/6/09 15:05 Page ii Series Editor: Shirley Bach 1 2 Transforming Nursing Practice – titles in the series 3 4 Communication and Interpersonal Skills for Nurses ISBN 978 1 84445 162 3 5 Law and Professional Issues in Nursing ISBN 978 1 84445 160 9 6 Learning to Learn in Nursing Practice ISBN 978 1 84445 244 6 7 Nursing and Working with Other People ISBN 978 1 84445 161 6 8 Nursing in Contemporary Healthcare Practice ISBN 978 1 84445 159 3 9 What is Nursing? Exploring Theory and Practice ISBN 978 1 84445 158 6 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 40 1 2 3 To order, contact our distributor: BEBC Distribution, Albion Close, 4 Parkstone, Poole, BH12 3LL. Telephone 0845 230 9000, email: 5 LEARNING TO LEARN PTrev_gk.QXD 2/6/09 15:05 Page iii Learning to Learn in Nursing Practice Kath Sharples LEARNING TO LEARN PTrev_gk.QXD 2/6/09 15:05 Page iv 1 2 3 4 First published in 2009 by Learning Matters Ltd 5 6 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored 7 in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, 8 mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission in 9 writing from Learning Matters. 10 1 ©2009 Kath Sharples 2 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data 3 A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library 4 5 ISBN: 978 1 84445 244 6 6 7 The right of Kath Sharples to be identified as the author of this Work has 8 been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 9 1988. 20 Cover design by Toucan Design 1 Project Management by Diana Chambers 2 Typeset by Kelly Gray 3 Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall 4 5 Learning Matters Ltd 6 33 Southernhay East 7 Exeter EX1 1NX 8 Tel: 01392 215560 9 E-mail: LEARNING TO LEARN PTrev_gk.QXD 2/6/09 15:05 Page v Contents Foreword vi Acknowledgements vii Introduction: Your training – your career 1 1 Practice learning in the pre-registration nursing curriculum 6 2 Learning as an adult 17 3 Your mentor in practice 26 4 Learning with style 38 5 Preparing for clinical placement 49 6 Self-regulated learning in practice 62 7 Learning through experience 72 8 Learning through feedback 84 9 Learning to learn in practice 98 Glossary 114 References 116 Index 122 v LEARNING TO LEARN PTrev_gk.QXD 2/6/09 15:05 Page vi Foreword If you are a student on a nursing course, or improving your learning in practice skills, the process is exciting and challenging in equal measures. It’s exciting because there are new things to learn which will bring riches as an academic award or career opportunities. It’s challenging because you are expected to follow a course that has hardly a moment to spare. One minute you are in the classroom and the next you are in a ward full of very ill or recovering patients, or perhaps spending time with a person who needs gentle patience and understanding to support them through a distressing experience. The juxtaposition of experiences and variation is an essential part of the learning landscape. Kath Sharples offers you, in this book, the tools to manage your learning as you travel across that landscape. An overview of the historical background to the pre-registration course will help you understand why your learning is guided by the NMC standards and the importance of learning in practice. The book explores the differences between your approach to learning as an adult to that as a child, and the impact your previous learning experiences can have on your learning now. Sections on the vital role that mentors play, how you can work with them to support your learning, and the importance of assessing your own learning style to get the best from practice learning will help you make the most of your time. Preparing for your practical learning is an investment. The book demonstrates how you can plan for your personal needs and different situations. A key to making your learning work for you will be your drive, determination and motivation. Practice environments will provide you with a wealth of different learning experiences. Your own enthusiasm for taking each of those experiences and turning them into a learning opportunity will be your strongest ally. In this book you will find many strategies, underpinned with practical examples and research, to assist you complete the competencies you will need in your course. There may be challenges ahead; however, the tactics you need to ‘learn to learn’ are here and will help you achieve your ambition. Shirley Bach Series Editor vi LEARNING TO LEARN PTrev_gk.QXD 2/6/09 15:05 Page vii Acknowledgements Thanks to Mel, Lyn and Anne, my colleagues in the Practice Education Support Unit, Thames Valley University, who provide endless support always. Thanks to Karen Elcock (Practice Education Support Unit, Thames Valley University) whose passion for practice education is a constant inspiration. Thanks to the pre-registration nursing students at Thames Valley University who teach me something new every day. Thanks to Di Page for her encouragement and Becky Taylor at Learning Matters for her constant words of wisdom, and for making the whole process enjoyable from beginning to end. Special thanks to Ann for her belief, encouragement, support and love. Kath Sharples The author and publisher would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce copyright material: Dennison, B and Kirk, R, Do, Review, Learn, Apply: A simple guide to experiential learning. Copyright © 1990, Blackwell Education, Oxford. Adapted Figure 2.7, ‘The Johari window’, p29, reproduced with kind permission of Blackwell Education. Honey, P and Mumford, A, The Manual of Learning Opportunities. Copyright © 1989, Peter Honey Publications, Maidenhead, UK. Adapted table on ‘Conscious Learning’, p1, reproduced with kind permission of Peter Honey Publications, Maidenhead, UK. Honey, P and Mumford, A, The Manual of Learning Styles. Copyright © 1992, Peter Honey Publications, Maidenhead, UK. Adapted learning cycle diagram, p. 7 and Learning Styles text extract, pp5–6, reproduced with kind permission of Peter Honey Publications. The publisher would like to note that The Manual of Learning Styles is now out of print and has been replaced by Honey, P and Mumford, A, 2006, The Learning Styles Questionnaire, 80-item version, Peter Honey Publications, Maidenhead, UK. Kolb, David A, Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Copyright © 1984, p42. Figure 3.1 adapted by permission of Pearson Education Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ. vii LEARNING TO LEARN PTrev_gk.QXD 2/6/09 15:05 Page viii Pattison, D, Parsons, D and Weatherhead, C, Connecting reflective practice with 1 clinical supervision, in Ghaye, T and Lilliman, S (eds) Effective Clinical 2 Supervision: The role of reflection. Copyright © 2000, Quay Books, Salisbury, 3 Wiltshire. 4 Adapted text extract, p76, reproduced with kind permission of Quay Books, MA 5 Healthcare Ltd. 6 7 Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders within the book, but if 8 any have been inadvertently overlooked the publisher will be pleased to make the 9 necessary arrangements at the first opportunity. 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 7111 viii Acknowlegdements LEARNING TO LEARN PTrev_gk.QXD 2/6/09 15:05 Page 1 Introduction: Your training – your career Congratulations on choosing a career in nursing. You are training to enter a very special profession that very few other professions can equal. By reading this book it can be assumed that you wish to improve your ability to learn in, through and during practice placements. Perhaps you are at the beginning of your training programme and wish to prepare for that first experience of being ‘in practice’. Or maybe you have progressed in your training and are looking for ways to hone your ability to learn ‘in practice’. Whatever the reason, rest assured that this book is for you. Not only is there advice for practice learning, it will also help to allay common fears, and perhaps even correct some misconceptions related to the clinical environment you may have. Essentially, this book will be a guide for what to learn in practice, how to learn in practice and when to learn in practice. The standards to be a nurse The standards that you need to reach in order to qualify as a registered nurse have been set for you by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The Standards of Proficiency for Pre-registration Nursing Education (NMC, 2004) contains a list of specific competencies that you must achieve in order to progress in your course. The first progression point is from the Common Foundation Programme into the Branch Programme. The second progression point is for entry into the professional register. In order to achieve a competent standard at each progression point, you will need to demonstrate that you have the skills to learn in practice. The Essential Skills Clusters for Pre-registration Nursing Programmes (NMC, 2007) also contains a list of specific competencies that you must achieve in order to progress in your course. Once again, the first progression point is from the Common Foundation Programme into the Branch Programme. The second progression point is for entry into the professional register. In both cases, there are competencies that are dependent on, and link to, your ability to learn in practice. The following boxes contain these specific competencies. 1