Neonatal Nurses' Perceptions of a Work-based Learning Approach - Personal Statement Example

Neonatal Nurses' Perceptions of a Work-based Learning Approach I have been interested in becoming a health care assistant for a long time. This is the motivation behind my decision to take the work based learning module at Middlesex University so that I can develop competencies in health care and thus be able to provide quality and effective care to the patients. Furthermore, I required to attain competencies which will allow me to provide appropriate assistance and help to my fellow health care providers in the most satisfactory and desirable manner. Additionally, I intended to go beyond the classroom knowledge by developing adequate health care experience through the work based module. More importantly, through the work based module I could be able to relate theory with practice and thus develop applicability of what I lean in the classroom. Furthermore, the motivation for the work based module that I took is the need to develop my health care career in the most efficient way. Through the work based module, I was aware that would obtain an opportunity of learning the basic work place behavior. This includes communication and interaction with other health care professionals at the work place (Miller, Chalmers and Swallow, 2004). These concepts are important in the provision of my assistance during the care of patients and people who require nursing care. In addition, I took the work based study module to enable me to develop the required skills in health care which I would apply in my future career and thus achieve effectiveness in the work place. Moreover, I considered the work based learning module as the most appropriate way to acquire the relevant occupational knowledge which will enable me to relate what I lean in the classroom with its practical application at the work place. Reflection on my Expectations My expectations were many when I took the work based learning module. I expected a very busy working environment where there was a lot of work. Additionally, I expected health care professionals to have a tight schedule that would not allow them adequate time to provide me with adequate guidance during my work based learning processes. Furthermore, I expected that the knowledge that I learned in class would be easily be interpreted within the work place and its practical applicability. These expectations were motivated by my prior knowledge that I acquired on health care and the attitudes and perceptions which I attained during my classroom learning experience. Later, I discovered that the actual situation at the work place was quite different from my expectations. The work environment was friendlier that I had expected. The health care staff was willing to provide me with assistance when I required. Nonetheless, it was my cooperation and enthusiasm which motivated some of them to assist in the attainment of skills and more knowledge on effective care. Additionally, the health care workers are more communicative than I had considered before. As a result, I was able to collaborate in the provision of care. This collaboration enabled me to be an effective learner and I was now able to relate my classroom knowledge with occupational practices. However, as opposed to my initial expectations, I discovered that the classroom knowledge was much less adequate in practice. This is because I realized that if I had to be an effective health care assistant, I had to apply my talents, skills and intuition so that I would achieve quality in care. Reflection on the Changes I Experienced During the Module During the cause of the module many things have changed especially in regard to my expectations. I increasingly become able to apply my academic knowledge at the work place. Furthermore, I expanded this knowledge through the additional and new concepts that I learned during the work based study experience. Furthermore, my ability to connect classroom knowledge with work became increasingly better during the course of the module. This is congruent to the postulation that work based knowledge is meant to help learners to have enhanced ability to relate classroom knowledge with work activities (Stanley and Simmons, 2011). Additionally, my skills for health care and collaboration in assisting health care professionals improved greatly during the course of the work based study module. The perceptions that I had on health care also changed during the course of the module. This is due to the changes in my assessments of the expectations which I had for the health care work environment. I was able to appreciate the friendliness of the health care professionals. More importantly, I was able to assist effectively in the care of the patients. This was achieved through accurate adherence and followership to the policies and procedure of care in addition to the legal and ethical provisions in care of the sick. It is during the course of the work based learning module that I was able to develop more professional contacts for my future career as a health care assistant. Nonetheless what I consider the most significant change which I achieved during the module is the development of skills in health care assistance and provision of patient centered care. It has been argued that work based learning module is important in enabling learners to improve their skills and abilities for effective practice in their future careers (Lester and Costley, 2010). In regards to my experience during the module, I consider that I was able to improve my skills for the better. Reflection of Challenges It is however notable that during my work based learning experience; I encountered various challenges and problems. My major challenge was lack of experience in health care because all I had at the beginning of the module was classroom knowledge on health care and provision of care assistance to health care professionals. Moreover, relating classroom knowledge to the practical healthcare practice was quite a challenge which I had to deal with. More notably was the challenge of dealing with patients especially in communication and understanding their needs. Furthermore, it was challenging to meet my roles as a health care assistant effectively. Furthermore some procedures were quite complex and thus I had a challenge in providing effective health care assistance. Nonetheless, I was able to cope with my challenges and problems during my work based learning processes. During the course of the module was able to efficiently develop a working experience in providing assistance in health care. This included my motivation and desire to learn and apply skills of health care and collaboration with other health care professionals. Additionally, the work based learning processes included expanding my classroom knowledge through continuous study as I worked in order to achieve enhanced understanding of the application of knowledge at the work place. Moreover, I was able to develop my communication skills and thus achieve an enhanced collaboration with other health care professionals and understanding the needs of the patients. The work based learning experience enabled me to acquire the ability of understanding my roles and those of other care professionals which enabled me to be more focused at the work place. It is revealed that work based learning is designed to enable learners to understand heir roles and the most effective was of executing these roles. Reflection on My Discoveries The work based learning experience was a self discovering experience for me because I learned many things about myself that are relevant to my motivation for the career I chose. Work based study should enable learners to be able to discover their practical skills and talents and thus apply them at the work place with due effectiveness and efficiency (Chapman, 2006). I discovered my interest in assistance in care of pediatric patients during my work based learning experience. This is due to the enhanced experience which I had at the pediatric department and the positive attitudes which I discovered I had for the care of children. Nonetheless, I attained skills of assisting in the care of all kinds of patients. Additionally, I realized that I had high level communication and teamwork skills as pertaining to health care. It is thus through this discovery that I intend to commit my abilities towards the provision of effective assistance in the care of patients. The attributes and values that are expected of health care professionals are learned during work based study (Miller, Chalmers and Swallow, 2004). In this regard, I discovered that I had high tolerance, understanding and respect at the work place which enabled me to have healthy professional relationships with patients and other health care professionals. Moreover, I discovered that I was more confident than I had previously through. It is through this confidence that other health care professionals were able to develop trust in me especially during my assistance in the processes of health care delivery. More importantly, I discovered that I had valuable talents in health care such as ability to use medical equipment and assisting with complex medical procedures. Through these discoveries, I consider my work based learning experience as very meaningful and as a significant stepping stone for my future career as a health care assistant. Reflection on the Changes in My Work Approach and Attitudes My attitudes and approaches towards my work as a health care assistant have changed significantly after the work based learning module. My work related attitudes and habits are more positive and I am able to compromise various interests for the sake of work without much ado. Moreover, I am now able to employ critical thinking effectively at the work place. This is especially so when I relate knowledge with practice. More significantly is the fact that I have achieved appropriate experience in health care assistance. In addition, the work based module has enabled me to be able to apply the professional ethics and adherence to the legal framework which is associated with health care during all my practices at the work place. My approach at the work place is more professional and focused than before and this is attributed to the experience which I attained during the work based learning module. Reflection on Learning Discoveries In addition to self discovery which I achieved during the work based learning experience, I was able to discover that the hospital environment provides the most effective learning opportunity both for theory and practice. This is due to the fact that working in the health care environment allows learners to get motivation for theoretical inquiry as a guide to the practical experience. In this regard, I discovered that the time which is allocated for classroom work should be less than the practical or work based experience. Additionally, the work based learning modules should be allocated more time so that learners would be practical oriented. I was able to achieve this realization and discovery due to the usefulness and benefits which I acquired during the work based learning experience. When theory and practice are merged during a work based study, learners are enabled to achieve effective learning and development of sufficient experience for the future practice in their careers (Johnson, Hong, Groth and Parker, 2011). Nonetheless, it is notable that the design of the work based learning module is determined by the stakeholders of health professionals training system and thus a recommendation for increased practical based learning at the work place should be directed to them. Leaning was easy during my work based study because of the undivided assistance that I acquired from health care providers at the work place. Their assistance specifically enabled me to develop relevant and adequate skills in the assistance of health care delivery. Furthermore, I was able to learn on how to use medical appliances and assist in various procedures of medical care. More significantly, the combination of theoretical inquiry during the duration of the practical module enabled me to effectively achieve the learning objectives and thus attain the required outcomes at the end of the work based study experience. Notably the resources of the health care system where I was based played a significant role in promoting my learning experience in addition to the resources which acquired from college. Conclusion In the light of the above reflection, it is thus conclusive that the work based learning module provided me with a very useful experience for my career as a health care assistant. Through the module, I was able to obtain adequate skills and substantial experience. Additionally, I was able to achieve self discovery and thus ability to realize the talents that I had and abilities which would enhance my practice within the health care systems. More importantly, I consider myself adequate and confident to practice effectively as a health care assistant. References Stanley, H., and Simmons, S. (2011). Neonatal nurses' perceptions of a work-based learning approach. Nursing Children and Young People, 23(7), 20-24 Lester, S., and Costley, C. (2010). Work-based learning at higher education level: value, practice and critique. Studies in Higher Education, 35(5), 561-575 Johnson, A., Hong, H., Groth, M., and Parker, S. K. (2011). Learning and development: promoting nurses' performance and work attitudes. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67(3), 609-620 Chapman, L. (2006). Improving patient care through work-based learning. (Cover story). Nursing Standard, 20(41), 41-45 Miller, J., Chalmers, H., and Swallow, V. (2004). Partnerships in Work Based Learning. 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