Three of OSU Institute of Technology’s School of Nursing & Health Sciences faculty presented workshops recently at a national conference for nursing school instructors and educators.
Kathryn Bible, Jodi Campbell and Jamie Diggins all presented at the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) annual convention for nursing educators and instructors held in November in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Bible and Diggins co-presented a session titled “Promoting Critical Thinking in First Semester Nursing Students Using the Verbal Plan of Care.”
Traditionally students are required to submit a written plan of care for the patient or patients they are providing care for, Diggins said, and the process entails researching and transferring information, but not necessarily critical thinking or collaboration among students.
“The written plan of care hinders the instructor’s ability to facilitate the connection of learned concepts, identify misconceptions and provide immediate feedback to correct the student’s thought processes,” she said. “Kathryn and I are always working diligently researching and reflecting on ways to help our first semester nursing students in the clinical setting to promote critical thinking, increase self-efficacy, apply the nursing process, and understand the importance of teamwork and collaboration when providing holistic care to patients.”
Bible said the verbal plan of care involves both the instructor and the student thinking aloud about the patient’s plan of care in order to increase the student’s ability to “think like a nurse.”
“It involves understanding the patient’s disease process, how it can affect the patient as a whole person, what complications are possible, how to prevent complications and the role of the nurse throughout the patient’s plan of care,” she said.
Campbell’s session, “Using a Comprehensive Examination Writing and Review Program to Improve Outcomes” looked at how OSUIT’s nursing program was able to improve pass rates and graduation rates by doing a complete overhaul of course examinations, a process that took three years to complete.
All three had never presented at a conference before and were excited they were chosen to lead sessions.
“I was excited and then immediately panicked about presenting. While the content and details of my information are very important to us as a faculty, I started to second guess whether anyone else would find them helpful,” Campbell said. “The actual presentation went great. To be honest I almost can’t remember it as I was kind of operating on adrenaline, but my coworkers tell me it was good.”
It was a similar experience for Bible.
“At first I was shocked. I could not believe we were chosen out of all the abstract submissions nationwide. After the shock wore off, I was very anxious,” she said. “The presentation went great. We had many questions during and after the sessions, which showed great interest in the material we presented.”
All three said having the support of fellow faculty members and Dean Jana Martin was critical in their ability to present at the conference and the subsequent success of their sessions.
“We, as a team, strive to be innovative and continually improve the nursing program. The proof of this was evident at the conference,” Bible said. “We are also very fortunate to have Jana. As a dean, she is very supportive of the entire faculty and encourage us to learn, be innovative and share our successes with other nursing programs. If not for her support, the abstract would not have been submitted for consideration.”
Diggins said conferences like OADN’s are important to attend because they allow nursing programs and instructors the opportunity to learn from each other.
“Not only do you learn best practices in nursing education, but this promotes collaboration among faculty across the nation. We all have a common purpose of providing quality education and ultimately improving nursing care and patient outcomes,” she said.
Campbell said one of the things she and her fellow instructors try to instill in students is that in order to be excellent nurses, learning never stops.
“That doesn’t just apply to them. Learning and trying new things is how you grow and improve,” she said. “Instructors and programs who are stagnant become reactive to problems and new challenges. We as a faculty are always looking ahead and proactively changing our courses in ways that benefit our current students and those to come. All in an effort to continue producing excellent nurses who are prepared for the challenges of 21st century healthcare.”