An innovative program that assists clinical educators to tailor their teaching to individual learning needs is shaping a new era of nurses at Mater Health Services.
The Clinical Teaching and Learning Program for Educators and Facilitators was introduced by the Mater Education Centre (MEC) in February 2009. The 18-week program is open to all registered nurses and midwives who are keen to develop in an educational capacity.
MEC Co-ordinator Katherine Jackman, who developed the program, said it acknowledges that clinical education for nurses needs, to be flexible and attentive to individual needs and clinical educators need to be supported as well.
“Our goal is to empower educators and facilitators to deliver best educational practice within a clinical setting. As educators, we know that nurses and midwives have many different learning styles and their areas have many different educational needs,” said Katherine.
In its first year the program was completed by 15 nurses from throughout the Mater campus. The program incorporates lectures and discussions, a full day of transformational workshops and practical-setting assessment.
“The program is targeted at experienced registered nurses and midwives who are looking for a new career path, or who would like to branch out into the design and development of curriculum for nurses or midwives,” Katherine explained.
“Our goal is to empower educators to share their knowledge freely, to achieve optimum learning outcomes and, above all, make the lifelong learning journey enjoyable,” Katherine said