S4: Skill Lab Manual

In preparing for a clinical placement, there are some important requirements to
organize and information to gather or to communicate. These preparations are
required for good practice to help students get the most out of the clinical experience.
The students’ behavior and attitude need to be considered before clinical practice
as you prepare for general conduct that you will expect them to demonstrate while
in clinical placement.

2.1 Strategies to be considered when preparing the clinical
        placement

The following strategies need to be considered when preparing the clinical
placement:

– There is need to read through the materials provided by the training institutions
     such as policies and procedures relating to clinical placement. The old saying
    ‘knowledge is power’ is true.

– Prepare and compile the clinical materials according to clinical objectives

– The students’ behaviors need to be considered along the clinical teaching in
    the delivery of nursing care to clients. This will inform the behavior, attitude
    and the general conduct that is expected to be demonstrated during clinical
    placement

– The student orientation information needs to be prepared for clinical placement
    and knowing what to expect about the types of clients and services provided
   in the facility

– The students’ clinical objectives should be formulated to meet the students’
    clinical expectations

– The teacher needs to create linkage through interprofessional communication
    and collaboration with hospital leadership authorities and the in-service
    nurses during clinical practice

2.2 Responsibilities of the Faculty

– Ensures that all documents related to the clinical teaching plan are prepared
– Ensures that the clinical site staff are well informed
– Schedules communication with clinical staff to gain mentor support on student
    practice and progress, these conversations should occur minimally at the
    beginning of each clinical course, midterm, and in the final week of clinical for
    each course unit

– Reviews if the clinical hours planned on a weekly basis are met and if not,
   plan ahead accordingly.

– Ensures all evaluation processes are completed in a timely manner

– Reviews clinical competencies on a weekly basis and provide feedback to
   students as needed.

– Reviews individual student clinical experience at the completion of each
   clinical course

– Collaborates with the hospital staff around student assignments for required
   clinical experiences

– Coordinates student clinical learning with clinical facilitators
– Ensures that student clinical experiences commence as soon as feasible at
   the beginning of a courses

– Ensure that students will be able to complete the required clinical hours within
   the timeframe of the course
– Evaluates student competencies in the clinical setting using clinical facilitators’
    input to ensure students are providing optimal client care while adhering to
    objectives, guidelines and standards
– Documents student clinical performance and evaluation

– Assesses the process of student clinical evaluation within a course and
   recommends improvements when necessary

– Takes note of student difficulties in meeting clinical objectives

– Ensures the student have pre-required theory and practical demonstrations
   before clinical placement

– Clinical experiences and time spent in each experience should be varied
    and distributed in a way that prepares the student to provide care to the
    populations served.

– Provide students with all clinical documents: clinical objectives, portfolio and
   attendance lists

2.3 Orientation of the students at school for clinical practice

The first two (2) clinical periods will be spent in the school most probably in the skills
laboratory. This aims to brief the students on the tools needed in the clinical practice,
lay their anxiety and remind them the way of conducting themselves throughout the
clinical practice. The teacher will:
Address the students and prepare them for the clinical experience

– Lay their anxiety especially during the first week of year 4 in facing new
   situations that will be encountered in a clinical placement
   Remind students the ethical code, professional code of conduct as well as guidelines
   that govern the nursing profession

2.4 Ethical code of conduct

– value quality nursing care for all people
– value respect and kindness for self and others
– value the diversity of people
– value access to quality nursing care while respecting the equality
– value informed decision making
– value a culture of safety in nursing and health care
– value ethical management of information
– value a socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable environment
   promoting health and wellbeing

2.5 Professional code of conduct

– students practice in a safe and competent manner
– students practice in accordance with the standards of the profession and
    broader health system
– students practice and conduct themselves in a professional manner

– students respect the dignity, culture, ethnicity, values, and beliefs of people
   receiving care and treatment including their families

– students treat personal information obtained in a professional capacity as
   private and confidential

– students provide impartial, honest, and accurate information in relation to
   nursing care

– students support the health, wellbeing and informed decision making of
   people requiring for or receiving care

– students promote and preserve the trust and privilege essential in the
   relationship between student and clients

– students maintain and build on the clients’ trust and confidence in the nursing
    profession

– students practice nursing reflectively and ethically

– Inform/remind them to observe the clinical policies, rules and regulations

– Remind the students about the professional dressing code

– Explain the safety and hygiene regulations

– Prepare all materials needed in a real work situation: Thermometer, Blood
   pressure apparatus, second hand wrist watch, a note book, logbook and pen

– The clinical objectives and learning outcome are explained to the students

– Remind students they are students and not workers

2.6 The Student Role

    The points below outline the role of the student within clinical placement:
– The learners must have the content to apply in clinical placement
– Students will be held accountable for her/his acts
– Respect punctuality at all times.
– Demonstrate professional and ethical behaviors to all persons in the
    healthcare environment.
– Gathers information, completes, and submits the clinical portfolio at the end
   of each trimester.
– Provide a copy of the clinical objectives to the respective departments during
   the clinical practice.
– Participates in some morning staff meeting, clinical presentations.
– Complies with the institution’s rules and regulations.
– Respect the dress code: Wear professional attire.
– Wear your identification badge in all clinical experiences.

– Ensure privacy, personal and confidential information related to clients, family
    members, employees and people affiliated with your practical experiences.

– Avoid to disclose or access any personal or confidential information
   unnecessarily.

– Respect Clinical hours for each period

– Collaborate effectively with other team members.

2.7 Information on clinical support

The Teacher will brief students on how they will be supported while in clinical practice.
This support will be from a clinical mentor who is facility based for continual support
of students in addition to the school teachers. A mentor is someone who provides
a relationship that facilitates a student’s personal growth and development. It is a
dynamic relationship. The mentor guides the student through the organizational
networks of the clinical environment. Students are informed that:

– It is important to develop a good relationship with the clinical facilitator
– Students will spend much of their time with clinical facilitator
– Students must have the ability to communicate their learning needs which will
    help to attain their goals
– Students should observe what the clinical mentor does and inquire about the
   performed care/ interventions

2.8 Orientation of the students in health care clinical setting

Clinical practice orientation provides students with accurate information to make
them more comfortable during the clinical practice. It also facilitates students to
adapt faster and increases confidence throughout their practice. Orientation also
introduces students to the clinical staff/ community members and integrates them
into the clinical setting culture.

When the students arrive at the clinical site for the first time, the teacher will have
to do the following:
– Introduce students to the clinical site leadership specifically to the head of
   Nursing services who does it through an institutional tour as an opportunity to
   show them all services within the institution etc….)

– Introduce the students to team working within the clinical setting

– The clinical objectives and expected outcomes are communicated to the
   clinical setting

– The teacher (clinical facilitator) collaborates with the health care authorities in
   preparation for the commencement of clinical practice.

After the institutional tour, the head of Nursing services or delegate will hold a
session and:
– Get to know students through self-introduction
– Explain the organizational structure and hierarchy of the institution
– Explain to the student the facility overview
– Explain the work policies, rules and regulations of the health facility (ethics,
    values, institutional culture, code of conduct, working timetables, safety and
    health procedures, insurance policies, the clinical placement agreement as
    well as other relevant documents).

2.9 On site Clinical support

The students need some additional support to perform well in their role in order
to reach their full potential. The teacher will communicate to the clinical staff and
prepare them for this need.

S/he/ will:
– Make sure that the staff supporting students are confident enough before the
   students start clinical practice

– Speak to clinical staff to check that they are confident enough to work with
   and support students in the clinical setting  
   To achieve this, you will need to:

– Hold a short meeting with the clinical staff

– Ensure you know if students have any specific support needs (for example, a
   language difficulty, physical disability etc…) and plan for their support