HKU_Newsletter_Issue 40_Preview

A sk F lorence Ask Florence is a column in which students, clinical instructors and nursing teachers can write in with a problem or issue around clinical learning about which they would like advice from “Florence”, who is an experienced facilitator of student learning. We expect to receive queries about how to deal with student difficulties in clinical settings, how to give effective feedback to students, the strategies that are helpful for supporting unsafe students, and many other topics including those that students may raise. All questions will be dealt with anonymously. We will not publish your name or any details about you. If necessary, we will modify questions slightly to ensure total anonymity. If you have a question for “Florence”, please send it to askflorence@hku.hk Dear Amanda, It is extremely difficult when you have a dream you wish to pursue and are unable to follow it. I understand your disappointment and my heart goes out to you. I can also understand that it is very hard to motivate yourself when you feel you are in a course which does not satisfy you. If you think nursing is not for you, I would certainly encourage you to withdraw from the course and find another programme that interests you more. However, if you are still yearning for medicine you may find you are dissatisfied with any programme of study you take up. You have lost your dream and in any loss, we go through a period of grief. That is what is happening to you. So, I think before you leave nursing with the idea of taking up another course, you need to come to grips with your loss. Perhaps you could talk to someone you trust or seek advice from a counsellor because it is imperative that you let go of your dream and face up to your options realistically. Because you are so disappointed and possibly bitter, you are only seeing negatives in nursing. Also, to date you have only been exposed to very basic aspects of nursing care. You may find that there are pathways in nursing that could arouse your interest. So, my advice is first to find away to deal with your loss so that you can accept it and move on. Think very carefully about what you want for yourself for the future and then you will be in a far better position to decide whether you should leave or stay in nursing. My very best wishes to you, Florence Dear Florence, I am a nursing student, who selected Bachelor of Medicine as my first choice in JUPAS. However, my HKDSE result was not good enough to enableme to gain entry toMedicine and I was eventually offered a place in the nursing degree. I find that I amnot interested in studying nursing. I think the work of a nurse is too boring and lacks professionalism as all nurses do is serve as an assistant to doctors. Patients do not respect nurses at all. Could you give me advice as to whether I should withdraw from nursing and apply for another degree programme at present? If I cannot transfer to other degree successfully, how can I continue to motivate myself and arouse my interest on nursing, especially dealing with the clinical practicum? Yours sincerely, Amanda the precision and the complexity behind our clinical decision- making.” Another senior student who had completed 4 concept maps described making concept maps as a fruitful journey. She stated, “as soon as I finished those maps, I felt they provided me with more understanding about the relationships between treatments and underlyingcauses. Ifoundmyselfmorecapabletoprovideholisticcare to patients. Concept mapping is not an easy task as I must figure out the relationships between different treatments and their underlying factors. However, this was a huge move for me in genuinely knowing what was happening to patients. Apart from learning different treatments or laboratory tests in different conditions, it also gave me more time to think critically about if there are any other alternative tests or treatments. I believe these concept maps allowed me to think more logically when understanding the cases. They are absolutely helpful for me.” Concept mapping not only reflects what students have learned, it is also an assessment tool where a teacher may identify both students’ logical and invalid thought. It can be used to evaluate a student’s ability in clinical judgment and provide feedback accordingly. In addition, it is a self-evaluation tool for students. It allows students to think about a clinical situation in multiple ways and reflect on their own limitations and understanding in their learning process which are essential elements in development of critical thinking and decision making. References Gerdeman, J. L., Lux, K., & Jacko, J. (2013). Using concept mapping to build clinical judgment skills. Nurse Education in Practice, 13 (1), 11-17. Novak, J. D., & Cañas, A. J. (2008). The theory underlying concept maps and how to construct and use them. Retrieved on 8 Feb 2018 at http://eprint. ihmc.us/5/2/TheoryUnderlyingConceptMaps.pdf 5 Issue 40 Mar 2018