CLINICAL TEACHING METHODS
Clinical teaching is a vehicle that provides students with the opportunity to translate
basic theoretical knowledge into the learning of a variety of intellectual and psychomotor
skills needed to provide patient – centered quality nursing care.
GUIDELINES FOR SELECTION OF METHODS ADAPTED FOR USE IN CLINICAL
TEACHING:
Selection of method must be appropriate to objectives and desired behavioural
changes.
Selection of method must be in accord with principles of learning.
Selection of method must be in accord with capacity of student.
Selection of method must be in accordance with available of resources
Selection of method must be in accord with teacher’s ability to use it effectively
and creatively.
Types of Clinical Teaching Methods
1. NURSING CLINIC
The nursing clinic is a group discussion which utilizes the presence of a selected
patient, whereby the nursing aspects are presented and discussed.
PURPOSES:
• To apply theory into actual practice by observing interviewing and studying
a patient.
• To apply knowledge and experience to the real life situation.
• To understand certain types of apparatus.
• To improve the nursing care.
2. NURSING ROUNDS
Nursing rounds is an excursion into patient’s area involving the students learning
experiences.
PURPOSES:
• To demonstrate symptoms important in nursing care.
• Clarify terminology studied.
• To compare patient’s reaction to disease and study the disease condition.
• To demonstrate effects of the drugs.
• To illustrate skilful nursing care.
3, NURSING ASSIGNMENT
It is that part of learning experience where the students are assigned with patients
or other activities concerning to patients in clinical laboratory. It is through the assignment
that the teacher is enabled to arouse interest, stimulate right mental promotional attitudes
and sets forth good study habits.
CRITERIA FOR EFFECTIVE ASSIGNMENT:
• Students are informed about the objectives of their assignment to a particular ward/
unit of the hospital.
• Students are to be oriented to new clinical area.
• Students are given facilities to practice nursing according to principles taught.
• Assignments have to be assigned according to the consistent level of learning for
students have reached or attained.
• Proper guidance and supervision has to be provided to the students during their
clinical experience.
• Students should be given opportunities for working in a team.
• Student’s performance should be evaluated and discussed with the students for their
improvement, correction, etc
4. NURSING CARE CONFERENCE
Nursing care conference is a method of teaching, which provides an opportunity
for an informal discussion of a problem and free exchange of knowledge and experience
about the common interest and it consists of a group discussion using problem solving
techniques or nursing process.
ADVANTAGES:
• It helps the students to collect the information in creative way.
• It provides real practical learning environment to the students.
• It provides free opportunity to think.
DISADVANTAGES
• It will be of little use if the students do not accustom to such situation.
• There are chances of using these conference hours for classroom teaching.
5. MORNING AND AFTERNOON REPORTS
A report summarizes the services of the nurse and or the agency. Reports may be
in the form of an analysis of some aspects of a service.
CRITERIA FOR A GOOD REPORT:
• Report should be made promptly, if they are to serve their purpose well.
• A good report is clear, concise, and complete.
• It is clearly stated and well – organised for easy understanding.
• No extraneous material is included.
• Good oral reports are expressed and presented in an interesting manner and
important points are emphasized.
• A good report is unhurried.
TYPES OF REPORTS:
• Reports between the head nurse and her assistant.
• Reports between nurses who are assigned to bedside care.
• Reports of staff members to the change nurse.
• When reporting off duty.
• Reports to the clinical instructor.
• Report of the change nurse to the physician.
• Day, evening and night reports.
6. HEATH TEAM CONFERENCE
Health team conference is a group of professional persons involved in
accomplishing common goals for the purpose of interchange of ideas and solving
problems which are centred around the client, provides a useful tool for building and
maintaining mutual understanding through which it is possible to attain and maintain
optimum mental, physical, social health.
PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH TEAM MEMBERS:
• There must be an objective or purpose that is to be accomplished.
• Prior announcement of time, place, purpose and duration of conferences to all
concerned promotes assembly of a group well prepared and ready to focus attention
on the purposes of the conference.
• Obtaining the most recent data available prior to conference assures the leader that
imparted information is pertinent and accurate.
• Interaction of conference’s members on an equal basis encourages active
participation and leads to usable solution to the objective.
• Sharing feelings through conferences unifies and integrates the membership and
allows to progress
7. INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES
The individual conference sometimes described as conversation with a purpose or
more simply as an interview. The teacher may introduce the students to new fields of
knowledge, imparting information to her regarding this field and strive to motivate her in
the acquisition
PURPOSES
• To guide the teaching.
• To acquire more knowledge.
• To discover the interest needs and the problem of the individual students.
• To help the students to help herself/himself.
USE OF INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE IN NURSING COURSES:
• It can be used to clarify class material.
• It helps in supplement instructions.
• It can also help to explain answers to questions of individual.4
8. FIELD VISITS
An educational trip is defined as “an educational procedure by which the students
obtain firsthand information by observing places, objects, phenomena and process in
their natural setting to further learning.
PURPOSES:
• To provide real life situations for first hand information.
• To supplement classroom instruction, to secure definite information for a specific
lesson.
• To serve as a preview of a lesson and for gathering instructional material.
• To verify previous information, class discussion and conclusion of individual
experiments.
• To create teaching situational for cultivating observation, keenness and discovery.
• To serve as a means to develop positive attitudes values, and specific skills.
9. PROCESS RECORDING:
The process recording a “ a verbatim account of a visit for purpose of bringing out
the interplay between and the nurse and the patient in relation to the objectives for the
visit.”
USES OF PROCESS RECORDING:
• As a teaching – learning tool.
• As an evaluation tool.
• As a therapeutic tool.
PURPOSES OF PROCESS RECORDING:
• Assists the nurse to gain competency in interpreting and synthesising raw data under
supervision.
• Helps to consciously apply theory to practice.
• Helps the write to develop an increased awareness of her habitual, verbal and non-
verbal communication pattern.
• Help the nurse to learn to identify thoughts and feelings in relation to self and others.
• Help to increase observation skills as there is a conscious process involved in
thinking, sorting and classifying the interaction under the various headings.
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