S.M.

Nazmul Al-Deen,
Subject: Principles and Methods of Teaching Lecturer,
ART Nursing College.

Clinical Teaching

Introduction:
 Nursing education is a practice discipline. The students will learn the subject matter by
doing the things and practicing the skills. Clinical teaching will provide the places where
the actual clients are being cured for. Learning experiences require the presence of
clinical instructor, guide, reinforce and correct the behavior of the learners.
Clinical teaching is teaching which takes place in a clinical context. It usually involves
patients and clinical procedures, and as such, requires sensitivity, confidentiality and
discretion. 
As a clinical teacher you need to:

 Act as a role model for students (e.g. dress appropriately, act courteously etc)
 Clearly articulate the criteria used for student assessment
 Clearly demonstrate and explain clinical material
 Clearly demonstrate and explain clinical treatment techniques
 Demonstrate how theoretical knowledge can be applied in a clinical situation
 Monitor students clinical progress regularly, critically and constructively
 Encourage students to develop rapport and empathy with the patient and/or his
or her family.
Clinical teaching often involves presentation of a case, assessment and discussion of the
case. 
As a clinical teacher it is important that you:

 Encourage students to present the facts of the case to you (without you
intervening to offer a diagnosis)
 Encourage students to explain the rational behind their thinking (you can probe
this through the use of ‘what’ and ‘why’ questions)
 Provide general rules targeted to the learner’s level of understanding (for
example, ‘When this happens, do this...")

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 S.M. Nazmul Al-Deen,
Subject: Principles and Methods of Teaching Lecturer,
ART Nursing College.

 Tell them what they did right

 Correct their mistakes in a constructive manner

Definition:

Clinical teaching methods refer to the logical course of actions to accomplish particular
educational goals in a specific environment in which students can get opportunities of
learning outcomes.

Classification of the clinical teaching methods:

There are various clinical teaching methods to make the learning more effective. Some
of the most commonly used clinical teaching methods are as follows-
1.   Nursing Care Plan
2.   Nursing Case Study
3.   Bedside Clinics
4.   Nursing Rounds
5.   Nursing Care Conference
6.   Group Conference
7.   Individual Conference
8.   Demonstration and Re-demonstration
9.   Process Recording
10. Clinical Assignment

Nursing care plan:

 The nursing care plan is used to provide a guide to patient care.
 Plan is made based on priority, as the nursing needs are vary from patient to
patient and it should be based as per his need.
 Nursing care plan is a projected plan and is for immediate and future use.
 Nursing care plan helps students provide more competent and need based care.

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 S.M. Nazmul Al-Deen,
Subject: Principles and Methods of Teaching Lecturer,
ART Nursing College.

 Students are required to write the care plan implement, evaluate and modify to
meet the patients needs.
 Student can discuss the plan with the clinical instructor regarding intervention
and rational for the care.

Role of a Clinical Teacher

 Supervision

A clinical teacher will:

Provide appropriate supervision for trainees. This means being willing and able
to see patients under their care when action is required or when requested to by a
trainee. In addition, they must take appropriate initiative to ensure that trainees
are not operating outside of the realm of competence, thus jeopardizing patient
care. At the same time they must allow trainees the responsibility that is
appropriate to their level of training, commensurate with their ability, and
necessary for their growth as clinicians.

 Teaching

A clinical teacher will:

 Teach the knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and provide the experience that the
trainee requires to grow toward becoming a skilled and compassionate physician
in her/his field of choice.
 Demonstrate to students the rational basis for clinical decision making from
investigation to diagnosis and to treatment, based on the best evidence available.
 Support and encourage trainees in their activities to learn, and to develop a sense
of enquiry. foster the trainee's ability to form effective therapeutic relationships
with patients and families.

 Evaluation

A clinical teacher will:

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 S.M. Nazmul Al-Deen,
Subject: Principles and Methods of Teaching Lecturer,
ART Nursing College.

 At the beginning of a rotation, outline the duties, responsibilities, and

expectations of the trainee.
 Assess carefully and accurately (with a minimum of personal bias) the trainee's
abilities and provide timely verbal and written feedback to the trainee and to the
trainee's program.
 In addition to a formal evaluation at the end of a rotation, provide a midpoint
evaluation, and make the trainee aware of any concerns about the trainee's
performance in order to provide opportunity for correction.

 Professional Behavior

A clinical teacher will:

 Provide a model of compassionate care and skilled communication for trainees

maintain a professional teacher/trainee relationship at all times and avoid the
development of sexual and/or financial relationships with trainees.
 Refrain from the intimidation and harassment of trainees in any fashion:
emotional, physical or sexual.
 Recognize that there is a power differential between the teacher and trainee, and
therefore treat all trainees with respect regardless of race, sex, gender, sexual
orientation, colour or field of study.

ADVANTAGES
 Better nursing care due to efforts of students.
 Student gain greater understanding of human psychology.
 It helps to understand the effects the disease on the patient and family.
 Student can learn problem solving approach.
 Case-based
 One-on-one: preceptor ship
 Experiential
 Meaningful
 Opportunities for critique

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 S.M. Nazmul Al-Deen,
Subject: Principles and Methods of Teaching Lecturer,
ART Nursing College.

 Shared focus between teacher and student

Bedside clinic: meaning and concept:

 It’s a method of clinical teaching where patient’s medical history and therapies
are discussed in brief followed by identification of patient’s problem.
 Bedside clinic is one of the most effective method of clinical teaching. New
knowledge is acquired through observation and study of the actual patient.

Methods of bedside of clinics:

i. Clinic can be held at the bedside or can bring the patient to the classroom near
the ward.
ii. Patient should have typical condition.
iii. Duration usually 30 minutes.
iv. Group of students should be small. (6-8).
v. Make the patient comfortable.
vi. Prior permission should always be taken from patient.
vii. Patient may requested to talk about family, onset of disease and signs and
symptoms.
viii. Patient not present for entire discussion.
ix. Nursing care, patient’s problems and treatment therapies all to discussed before
he is brought to ward classroom.
x. Nothing should be done to hurt patient’s feelings.
xi. Clinical instructor may lead the discussion.
xii. After this group interact with the patient and patient allowed to go to his bed.
xiii. Topic summarized, important points emphasized and evaluation done by the
clinical instructor.   
Nursing rounds meaning:
Very important methods mainly used by ward sister, clinical instructor for clinical
teaching. Large group of patients are discussed for their specific problems. Medical and

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 S.M. Nazmul Al-Deen,
Subject: Principles and Methods of Teaching Lecturer,
ART Nursing College.

nursing care given at bedside. This method helps us to know all the patients in ward.
Their bed to bed discussion about patients problems and solutions.

Purposes : Encourage teaching among students about various cases in the ward.
Enhances student knowledge about different patients.

Timings for nursing rounds: It should not interfere with the ward routine.
It is not conducted during doctor’s and time for patient’s medical care.

How to conduct nursing rounds:

i. Usually conducted by ward sister, clinical instructor as they know each patient’s
problem more intimately.
ii. Students should be informed before hand.
iii. Bedside patient round should be stopped briefly for a short discussion about
specific nursing problem.
iv. Instructor/ward sister may call upon any nurse to tell about the patient and
nursing care given.
v. Nursing round timings up to 40-50 minutes and attendance of all students are
required.
vi. Whole ward/unit has to be covered in this brief weekly summary of nursing
problem.   
Values of nursing rounds:
 Helps in arousing students interest to read the history of all patients, review
disease conditions, medications, doses, actions and side effects etc.
 Encourage discussion among students about various cases in the ward.
 Head Nurse/Clinical Instructor to test the student’s knowledge of all the patients.
 No other type of round is substitute for nursing rounds. 
Nursing care conference: how is it planned:
 It is same as bedside clinic but patient usually not present.

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 S.M. Nazmul Al-Deen,
Subject: Principles and Methods of Teaching Lecturer,
ART Nursing College.

 This method may be used when whole group well acquainted with the patient and
the group have nothing to do for the patient.
 Group members must have opportunity to know patient, read patient history,
progress notes, nurses notes and laboratory findings and the treatment of the
diseases. 

Group conference: definition:
 It is a method of clinical teaching. Group of students and clinical instructor need
for a discussion of patients problem. Group should not be more than 10-12
students. Each student can get a chance of participation.
Role of clinical instructor:
 Clinical Instructor act as a leader, she must be sensitive to the group for all things
which show the attitude of the group members.
 She need to have patience and should not answer the questions  too quickly, but
wait for students answers.
 She should be able to guide the students.
 Correct wrong interpretations and should be given time to complete sentence.
 Subject/area should be closely related student’s daily experience in the
department.
 Students are guided in solving nursing problems.
 The success of this type of teaching depends upon the topic chosen for discussion.
Subject for group conference:
 Orientation of a new students to the department.
 Nursing care needs of a particular patients or group of patients.
 Conference on Nursing procedures, eg. Records, Report writing, intake and
output charting, preparing patient for surgery etc.
 Discussion on drugs, diets and treatments.
 Nursing projects and fields trips etc.
 Hospital House Keeping, Hospital routine etc.

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 S.M. Nazmul Al-Deen,
Subject: Principles and Methods of Teaching Lecturer,
ART Nursing College.

 Proper handling of sophisticated equipments and instruments.  

Values of group conference:
 Most profitable methods of clinical teaching.
 It encourages active participation of each group members.
 Subject matter deal with proper guidance of clinical instructor.
 Group thinking and discussion awakens interest and appreciation.

Individual conference definition:

Individual Conference is an interaction between teacher and a learner. 
 It can be planned and unplanned.
Such conferences are held in ward with the student and clinical instructor/ward
sister.             

Subject matter:
 Related to students nursing ability.
 Quality of work performance.
 Relating to students achievements.
 Test results written or practical.
Role of clinical instructor:
 Listen to student’s problems, difficulties regarding clinical experience.
 Give the chance to student to express her feelings.
 Effective and useful guidance to the student’s based on her difficulties.
 Always respect the student as an individual.
 Discuss the student’s problem and achievements.
 Try to remove the fear , anxiety and doubts.
 Be friendly informal and not biased.
 For planned conference, student should be informed beforehand.
 Place should free from interruptions, less noisy as privacy and allow the student
to sit down so she feels more relaxed. 

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 S.M. Nazmul Al-Deen,
Subject: Principles and Methods of Teaching Lecturer,
ART Nursing College.

Values of individual conference:

 It offers useful opportunities for teaching and     learning.
 Student and instructor discuss particular problem.
 Student can know about her progress etc.
 Provides a sense of security.
 Excellent opportunity for an individual learning. 

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