Collaborative Learning: The Right Kind of Nursing Education

Medical education has come a long way over the years. The days of massive lectures in stuffy halls by tight-suited professors standing over preserved cadavers have given way to a variety of competitive and versatile training programs. More importantly, it is no longer only doctors who must undergo specialized education, but the increasingly important profession of nurses also requires intense schooling. There are many different kinds of training programs for nurses, from general bedside helpers to specialized assistants and personal care workers. Before thinking about what kind of nurse you would like to become, the first step is to consider what kind of education you want.

There are several teaching methods that give the nursing student a competitive edge when entering the professional world. One specific method of education that some schools offer which could be considered superior is known as the collaborative learning method.

This is a special kind of learning methodology that really puts the student in a position of a continuous back-and-forth exchange with your teachers and your fellow students. It emphasizes an independent kind of learner who decides their own level of commitment to furthering their education. It is a feedback-based system where the teachers and instructors act more as facilitators through consultation with their students. This kind of learning method is very group-activity-orientated, where collaboration is key to the gaining and sharing of knowledge, while simultaneously fostering a great deal of independence in every student.

Collaborative learning can be used for many different kinds of professional training, but it serves nursing especially well. A nursing school that utilizes collaborative learning provides the future nurse with an advantage because much of this style of education is useful in a professional nursing career. A nurse is essentially part of a team, and in any team, collaboration is the foundation for good work. A nurse also exists in a respected hierarchy of medical staff, from doctors to medical assistants. Any well-functioning hierarchy relies on feedback between the levels to ensure optimal efficiency and the best results. Mostly, nurses must constantly rely on their own intuitive and independent decision-making skills. Collaborative learning, while based on a peer-sharing education, still gives students the complete independence that will serve them in their professions.

Old-fashioned degrees in nursing still exist where students get more of a classroom theoretical-style education with some hands on training as well. When comparing nursing courses, it is important to consider if you have what it takes to maximize your education by being simultaneously independent, a good group-worker, and being a student and a teacher at the same time. The right career begins with the right education. And when that career is such an important and gratifying career as nursing, you want an education that teaches you more than the basics, but one that teaches you how to teach yourself to constantly become the best nurse you can be.


Article Source: Michael Zunenshine