Browsing by Author "Smedley, Alison"
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Item A Partnership Approach to the Preparation of Preceptors(2009-01-01) Penney, Dawn; Smedley, AlisonThe role of nurse preceptor is critical to the successful integration of nursing students into the profession. Collaborative, partnership-based learning between beginning and more experienced nurses is central to this role. This article describes a targeted course for registered nurses designed to increase their knowledge and skills for preceptoring and achieve attitudinal changes to enhance the student/RN learning relationship in the clinical workplace. The course development and participation experience is discussed in relation to action learning as a model for nurse professional development. Prospects for extended and more formalized application of action learning in nursing and nurse education are discussed.
Item An Evaluation of an Extended Intervention to Reduce Plagiarism in Bachelor of Nursing Students(2020-03-01) Cloete, Linda; Crawford, Tonia R.; Smedley, AlisonPre- and post-intervention surveys of first-year nursing students were undertaken to establish the students’ knowledge of plagiarism following implementation of an online library-based Academic Integrity Module and the use of plagiarism detection software. Knowledge and understanding of plagiarism improved, but students' ability to paraphrase remained poor. Students entering post-secondary educational institutions require ongoing support and learning opportunities to improve their skills in paraphrasing and referencing to avoid plagiarism.
Item An Intervention Aimed at Reducing Plagiarism in Undergraduate Nursing Students(2015-05-01) Cloete, Linda; Crawford, Tonia R.; Smedley, AlisonPlagiarism is a current and developing problem in the tertiary education sector where students access information and reproduce it as their own. It is identified as occurring in many tertiary level degrees including nursing and allied health profession degrees. Nursing specifically, is a profession where standards and ethics are required and honesty is paramount. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in nursing student’s knowledge and understanding of plagiarism before and after an educational intervention in their first semester of the Bachelor of nursing degree at a private college of higher education in Sydney, Australia. This study concluded that an educational intervention can increase knowledge and awareness of plagiarism among nursing students.
Item Becoming and Being a Preceptor: A Phenomenological Study(2008-04-01) Smedley, AlisonPreceptorship is a valuable component of nursing courses today and is seen as vital to the professional preparation of student nurses. Preceptors facilitate the development of knowledge, clinical skills, and professional attitudes in nursing through guidance, supervision, role modeling, and personal development of the student. They also help to orient and socialize the student to the real nursing workplace environment. Being a preceptor in nursing has been identified as time-consuming and requiring clinical teaching skills that many registered nurses (RNs) perceive they do not possess. This article outlines how a small group of RNs from one selected workplace developed their preceptor abilities through undertaking the preceptor program run by Avondale College to prepare them for this important role.
Item Developing the Nurse Professional and Nurse Education for the 21st Century(2006-07-01) Smedley, AlisonTitled 'Developing the nurse professional and nurse education for the 21st century' this professional portfolio consists of a series of academic papers, literature reviews, supporting workplace research and scholarly activities linked to the focused theme. It has been compiled in association with completion of five coursework units of the Doctor of Education program through Edith Cowan University, Western Australia. The purpose of this portfolio was to establish what educational strategies would enhance the professional education for the nurse of the future. Through an examination of various contemporary educational theorists' work, a conceptual framework was developed using the concepts of Hargreaves (2003) as an overarching model to establish the current positioning of nursing and nursing education in the knowledge society. The preparation of a nurse who can function effectively and efficiently within a rapidly changing health workplace relies heavily on educational preparation that includes the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate for the role. This portfolio has examined critical aspects of nursing and nurse education in relation to the development of these necessary areas for future nurse professionals. Integrated workplace research on student readiness for self-directed learning, the importance of supportive clinical learning environments and student's perceptions of these environments, developing leaders and quality preceptors for students and the importance of information and technology for nurses have been reviewed and analysed in this portfolio. This portfolio has contributed to understanding the current positioning of nursing and nurse education and drawn together important educational strategies for Avondale College and other similar institutions to consider when developing future nursing programs.
Item Do Childbirth and Early Parenting Programs Meet the Needs of the Client?(1999-03-01) Smedley, AlisonThe Childbirth Education Association of Australia (NSW) Ltd (CEA) completed a non-randomized, prospective study of clients attending its antenatal program over a twelve-month period in 1997. The aim of the study was to establish if the program offered met the needs of their clients.
Item Enhancing Learning for a New Graduate Registered Nurse in an Australian Day Surgery Unit(2011-11-01) Smedley, Alison; Anderson, AlisonNew Graduate programs for the newly registered nurses (RN) have become common place in Australia. These targeted programs are designed to enable the new RN to be exposed to a number of areas in nursing, assist the new graduate (NG) nurse to build on existing knowledge and skills, and to enhance confidence and competence in their new role as a registered nurse (RN). The work environment in nursing is constantly changing and new RNs are learning and developing skills every day. This article will present an overview of how one Australian Day Surgery unit in Sydney, Australia has positively enhanced the learning of NG nurses.
Item Enhancing the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Skills of Preceptors: An Australian Perspective(2010-01-01) Race, Paul; Morey, Peter; Smedley, AlisonWithin the context of nursing education in Australia, the registered nurse (RN) preceptor plays an invaluable role with nursing students; however, many are not specifically trained for this role. This study explored the perceptions of practicing preceptors from one health care facility after completion of a specially designed preceptor program. Results indicated that the participants perceived that the program had increased their knowledge of teaching and learning and increased their skills as preceptors. Further results suggested that when the RN preceptor's knowledge of the teaching and learning process increased, it led to an increase in the RN preceptor's generic preceptor skills. This increased the RN preceptor's confidence, leading to a more positive attitude toward student nurses and a positive effect on preceptor functioning, enhancing the preceptor's ability to include students more in daily nursing tasks.
Item Guide to Labour(2001-01-01) Campbell, Gina; Smedley, Alison; Sundin, Julia (JuJu);This widely used booklet outlines the events of labour and the partner’s role throughout. An invaluable reference guide for labour and birth.
Item Improving Learning in the Clinical Nursing Environment: Perceptions of Senior Australian Bachelor of Nursing Students(2010-01-01) Morey, Peter; Smedley, AlisonLearning in the clinical environment has traditionally formed an integral part of nursing education programs in Australia. In tertiary-based nursing courses today, students can spend equal or more hours learning in the clinical workplace as they do in their classroom-based studies. Developing ways to improve teaching and learning in the clinical environment can help to develop a more positive workplace culture, which in turn, has been identified as producing more effective learning outcomes for students. This quantitative study used the Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI) questionnaire (Chan, 2002) as a platform for data collection to investigate Avondale College's (an Australian tertiary education institution) senior Bachelor of Nursing (BN) students' perceptions of their clinical learning environment. It was highlighted that even though the students perceived that their clinical experiences were generally positive, they indicated that there was still room for improvement. With respect to the five domains of the clinical environment identified by the CLEI (personalisation, student involvement, teacher innovation, task orientation and individualisation), the students identified the personalisation and student involvement domains as the most important in generating appropriate clinical environments, and even though the students expected less in the areas of task orientation, teaching innovation and individualisation, these were the areas they saw a need for greatest improvement. Students also suggested that the development of a positive relationship with the clinical teaching staff was paramount in generating the ideal clinical environment. Finally, the study indicated that student satisfaction is increased when there is an ongoing student involvement, that is, in the words of Lave and Wenger (1991), when they become an integral part of the 'community of practice' in their clinical nursing placement.
Item Review: Issues with e-Learning in Nursing and Health Education in the UK; Are New Technologies Being Embraced in the Teaching and Learning Environments?(2011-01-01) Smedley, AlisonThis paper discusses how nursing and health science disciplines have embraced e-learning in order to attract learners' worldwide with its accessiblity and convenience
Item The Heart of Nursing: Attentive Listening and Serving Stories(2016-11-01) Smedley, Alison; Rickett, Carolyn; Race, Paul T.How to be an effective nurse? What “night side of life” looks like? Why relational skills are important? What patients indicate is important? The authors answer these and other questions in this book chapter and assure you that, “by choosing a career in nursing, you are committing to this ultimate goal of generating mutual trust, understanding and respect between yourself and your patient”.
Item The Importance of Informatics Competencies in Nursing: An Australian Perspective(2005-03-01) Smedley, AlisonOver the past two decades, dramatic changes have occurred in the nature and extent of communication and information technology use in nursing worldwide. The need for student nurses to be well prepared for the use and application of information technology in nursing is arguably now paramount. This article details areas where information and communication technology is used in nursing in Australia and discusses why nurses must be diligent in maintaining skills in this area to facilitate the delivery of safe, quality care in any healthcare setting. It will then discuss the importance of information and communication technology (ICT) skills, knowledge and understanding as an integral aspect of nursing programs in tertiary institutions. The challenge for training providers to prepare nurses for ever-changing ICT technology and technological applications in their workplace is highlighted.
Item The Self-directed Learning Readiness of First Year Bachelor of Nursing Students(2007-07-01) Smedley, AlisonSelf-directed learning (SDL) has evolved as a method of learning into Australian nurse education over the past few years with enthusiastic claims of increasing student numbers and access to learning. It is an educational concept and transformative learning process that has been used increasingly in adult education, especially within tertiary institutions. Most tertiary educational institutions now offer components of their nursing programmes using self-directed learning methods that may include distance programmes, blended mode or flexible delivery, clinical learning logs and independent learning contracts or problem based packages. This paper reports on research that evaluated the self-directed learning readiness of undergraduate student nurses in their first year of the Bachelor of Nursing (BN) programme within a private tertiary education institution in Sydney, Australia. These findings were compared to research undertaken with beginning degree students in a large public university nurse education programme in Sydney and identified remarkably similar results. Results from both studies were similar and highlight the need for curriculum developers to include strategies in beginning level degree subjects to cultivate self-directed learning skills for nurses.
Item Using Reflection to Enhance the Teaching and Learning of Midwifery Students(2014-02-20) Smedley, Alison; Velo, KarenPreceptorship is a vital role in the development of both undergraduate and postgraduate midwifery students who require input and guidance from more experienced midwives. The preceptor acts as a professional role model to the student: teaching and supporting; providing a learning environment that enables confidence to develop through supervised safe practice; and assisting them to develop knowledge and skills, and adapt to new contexts and new roles within an ever-changing midwifery environment. Using reflection and critical analysis within clinical scenarios is a useful way to provide effective teaching and learning for students. This can also assist the preceptor to develop alternative teaching strategies and develop confidence to try new teaching approaches with students in future encounters. As the role of preceptor comes with great responsibility, the need for flexibility in teaching approaches, according to varied student learning styles, promotes new teaching approaches and confidence in the preceptor. This paper analyses a clinical teaching and learning scenario within a midwifery context and critiques the various teaching strategies utilised to recommend alternative approaches for the registered midwife preceptor.