Smart Talk: What Educators Need to Know

Ostomy Wound Management introduces Smart Talk, a new online exclusive that will address various aspects of staff instruction to help clinicians become better educators.

     Educating others, whether peers, superiors, patients/clients, or new wound care personnel, is a huge, weighty responsibility. Education is serious business — it offers wonderful rewards for both the educator and the learner. Try to remember the first time you had that “ah-ha!” moment. Think about how proud you felt. Then imagine how the educator felt when that gleam of accomplishment flashed in your eyes as you understood a concept or synthesized several concepts into new knowledge. These moments continue throughout our lifetimes.

     When thinking about educating patients/clients, you should remember that maintaining competency and achieving excellent outcomes are Joint Commission requirements. There are numerous considerations when planning to share knowledge: Have you thought about the cultural and literacy issues involved with educating certain populations? Can you implement a reading level assessment program? How do you educate an individual with a hearing, visual, or physical disability? In terms of the ability to provide care, what needs to be accomplished educationally for an individual to achieve competency? When faced with the challenge of formal presentation to a group of people, do you need some support with your public speaking skills?

     Lifelong education theory recognizes that learning occurs not only in the classroom, but also in every event and life situation we experience. Every experience helps “grow” the individual; therefore, one can expect education to occur in a variety of situations, formats, and settings. Formal education may include class-based, self-directed, and online instruction, In each case, a variety of learners of all ages will benefit from a variety of teaching strategies.    

 There are two key concerns when preparing any kind of instruction:

     Topic. Not only do an educators need to understand a topic well enough to convey its essence to a new generation of learners, but they also need to be able to translate the information into a level and format relevant for learners that will enable them to apply the information and create a significant, worthwhile experience. Key to topic and presentation style appropriateness is a needs assessment.

     Technology. Technology is a powerful tool but educators and learners must understand its workings and capabilities before it can be useful. Educators can engage learners in virtual learning environments, group activities, online chats, and presentations without having anyone leaving home or work, a huge benefit for learners will accessibility and time issues. Media can be imported from the Intra- or Internet to illustrate a concept or demonstrate a skill. But the instructor must be comfortable with technology to use it effectively. Are you familiar with e-learning and its functions and features? Do you know what type of technology is most appropriate and accessible for your audience? Is in-person instruction a better fit for your learners?

     This column will provide a variety of steps and processes relevant to various types of learners, materials, and technology. Topics will include:

     • Finding a location for your program
     • Identifying your audience members and their learning modes and styles
     • Conducting a needs assessment
     • Determining appropriate content to present
     • Writing behavioral objectives
     • Explaining the domains of learning
     • Developing a simple survey instrument
     • Applying for contact hours from a provider unit
     • Teaching strategies
     • Learning styles and processing knowledge
     • Preparing for an informal inservice or a formal presentation
     • Engaging a vendor to present a new product
     • Evaluating the educational program.

     As a fledgling columnist, I am open to addressing specific needs. Please take a few minutes to email at b.chamberlain@kennedyhealth.org and let me know what you’d like to learn about.

Dr. Barbara Chamberlain is the Corporate Director of Clinical Education and Research, a critical care advanced practice nurse, and a trauma nurse instructor, Kennedy Health System, Cherry Hill, NJ. Please address correspondence to: b.chamberlain@kennedyhealth.org.

This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.