Introduction
Nursing practice is a combination of complex tasks the goal of which is to investigate what a person can do, how working plans should be developed, and when a theory has to be applied practically. During this week, the core of practice is to understand the importance of learning theories in the field of nursing. The chosen case study introduces a new female nurse who has to develop a training course for hospital volunteers. To succeed in this task, the nurse has to consider different theories, understand the impact of the diversity of students on a learning process, and clarify which steps have to be taken first.
New tasks
The peculiar feature of this week’s task is the necessity for a nurse to deal with a new task without being guided. It is not enough to clarify the goals and find a solution. The main challenge is to focus on one group of people, recognize their strong and weak aspects collectively and personally, and develop a plan for a training course. Such assignment is not only new in terms of its nature and outcomes. This task includes several new people and the necessity to learn them before taking another step and achieve the goal set.
Decision making
Regarding such instructions and responsibilities, a decision-making process cannot be ignored. This case study is based on multiple decisions, including the requirement to meet new people, learn as much as possible about them, and understand what learning theory can be more appropriate to them. Nursing performance and success depend on how well they can recognize their theoretical basics and explain them to other stakeholders involved in similar activities (McEwen & Wills, 2014; Potter, Perry, Hall, & Stockert, 2014). Every decision has to be strong and confident. A nurse can use theories as support and a guide at the same time.
Theoretical importance
Learning theories have to be properly understood and applied in nursing education, as well as in education to stakeholders promoted by nurses. This week is based on the work with people who have diverse backgrounds and knowledge. Therefore, a leading nurse has to focus on different reasons that potential learners may have for their voluntary participation and motivation that has to be used for training. Four main theories are discussed, including the adult learning theory with its focus on the age of learners, the cognitive field theory that deals with reasons and motivation, developmental psychological theories that can be used to explain a diversity of learning styles, and behavioral theories that are used to cover physical skills of learners. Sometimes, these theories may confuse nurses as educators because many standards cannot be ignored. In some cases, the application of learning theories is a chance to do everything correctly and achieve positive results in a short period of time.
Conclusion
In general, this week helps students realize that theoretical knowledge is an important aspect of nursing practice. It can be used not only to approve each decision and explain each activity. Nursing theories inspire learners and teachers. They help to overcome shortages and deal with challenges. Nowadays, learning is offered to students who are the representatives of different age, ethnic, and social groups. Teachers have to take all differences of learners into consideration in order to develop a plan and underline the importance of every student. Therefore, an appropriate choice of a learning style is a considerable step to success in nursing learning.
References
McEwen, M., & Wills, E.M. (2014). Theoretical basis for nursing (4th ed.). New York, NY: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Potter, P.A., Perry, A.G., Hall, A., & Stockert, P. (2014). Elsevier’s adaptive learning for essentials for nursing practice (8th ed.). New York, NY: Elsevier Science Health.