2006 OPEN FORUM Abstracts
WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR LEARNING EXPERIENCES AT THE BEDSIDE
Kathy Jones-Boggs Rye, Ed.D., R.R.T.; University Arkansas Medical
Sciences &
Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, AR.
Background: Expert clinical support for the bedside learning
experiences of respiratory care students is often provided by volunteer
preceptors who are also staff respiratory therapists (RT) with an assigned
workload for the day. These preceptors are often challenged by a vicious cycle
of short staffing, heavy workloads, and mandatory overtime. Prior research has
shown that it is less attractive to preceptors to precept the students if their
own personal productivity is affected.1 The purpose of this research
is to illuminate what preceptors believe students need to know to make the most
of their learning experiences at bedside and at the same time ensure the
preceptor's personal productivity remains at an acceptable level.
Methods: This
qualitative study explored the attitudes of 45 participants in a respiratory
care clinical education preceptor training program at a large urban children's
hospital. An open-ended
critical-incident questionnaire was administered to preceptors during the
workshop. The questionnaire was modeled after an instrument used by Dunlevy
& Wolf in their 1994 study which explored the clinical learning experiences
of allied health students.2
Results: A phenomenological approach
was applied to study the experiences of those who are involved in an ongoing
experience of preceptorship. Preceptors revealed the characteristics and
behaviors of students who were the most enjoyable to instruct and those who
interfered with his/her personal productivity. Furthermore, preceptors imparted
recommendations that students can use to become more effective learners in the
clinical environment.
Conclusions: Preceptors who are experienced in
helping RT students accomplish goals bring to light what students need to know
to prepare themselves for the optimal educational experience at the
bedside. The two trends that emerged
from the analysis were 1) Attitude is everything! 2) Students who desire
effective learning experiences must be proactive and communicate their own
strengths and weaknesses to the preceptor. The major incentive for RTs
volunteering for clinical teaching is personal satisfaction.1 To
make certain that preceptors continue to volunteer, educational programs must
continue to monitor the increasing pressures on their preceptors and ensure
that the goals, processes, support and rewards for clinical teaching are
apposite. Furthermore, programs must ensure that students are highly prepared
in the affective, as well as cognitive and psychomotor domains prior to entry
into the clinical phase of the program.
1Rye KJ, Boone EL, & Neal-Rice H. The meaning of
preceptorship in respiratory care clinical education. [Abstract] Respiratory
Care. 2004; 49(11):1380.
2Dunlevy CL & Wolf KN. Clinical learning
experiences of allied health students. AARC Distinguished Papers Monograph.
1994; 3(1):3-10.