Innovative teaching within the nursing resource center: A blueprint for student sucess

Journal of Multicultural Nursing & Health, Fall 2001 by Ankele, Ruth, Lohner, Linda, Masiulaniec, Betty Ann Swat

In addition to being able to practice the experience of the community setting, a need to address multi cultural topics related to client care was also recognized. This reflects a renewed emphasis on cultural community competency as a curriculum thread. The students' opportunities to explore cultural diversity and various communication techniques comply with recommended standards for culturally appropriate health care services (McLean and Riley-Eddins, 2000). Thus the current focus of the N.R.C. is to expand the assessment component to include cultural concerns such as nutritional needs and ethnic traditions. Role playing will be incorporated as one technique to empower students to achieve an understanding of cultural differences in their clients (Bonwell, 1996). This technique encourages active learning as students learn from each other (peer learning), resulting in critical thinking and reflection of their own personal and cultural differences (Boychuk Duchscher, 2001).

The Future Move to Main Campus and the Wish List

Recently the Associate Degree Nursing Program has moved into a new college. This new college and the nursing program will soon move to main campus. While the building is being renovated, faculty visited many other schools to see how they designed their N.R.C.'s. From these visits, ideas and a wish list were documented for future reference. Items such as, increased space, separate rooms for computers and videos, and a separate designated library section were given top priority. An additional request was to have a skill area designed to reflect some of the unusual home environments they may encounter i.e.: dim lights, extension cords, clutter, throw rugs and hygiene issues. Even though in the near future, the N.R.C. will be moving to another new space and on a different campus, the plan is to keep the new atmosphere of FUN in the N.R.C. Learning and teaching can occur just from the quality and influence of the setting. (Raingruber and Bowles, 2000, pg.66).

The real benefit from all the changes that have occurred in the N.R.C. is that it has produced for the students a visual Blueprint for successful learning. (Table 1) This Blueprint is based on Orem's Self Care Deficit Theory of Nursing and helps the students visualize their educational and personal progression through this process. Nursing educators have always been advocates of correlation between performance and cognitive knowledge by using a nursing model as an effective teaching strategy. (Billings and Halstead, 1998, pg. 305). First, the roof of the building represents Orem's self-care requisite of Normalcy and their classroom theory content. The right hand walls represent Orem's self-care requisite of Activity, which include their skills, community and cultural issues. The left hand walls represent Orem's self-care requisite of Solitude, which involves their use of self-study resources i.e. computer programs, videos, and library. The inner space represents Orem's self-care requisite of Socialization, Air, Food, Water, and Elimination; this is the hub of the N.R.C. This is where most of the FUN takes place. Lastly, the door of the N.R.C. leads out to the practicum setting, which reflects Orem's self-- care requisite of Prevention of Hazards/Safety issues.