Unconfused Learning

Now on my way back after a really long and hard day at work. There were so many things to do! Change this, take that, measure this and etc etc...

The things we had to do today were mostly part of the daily routine. There wasn't time for any assessment or instructions from the instructors. As I did my assigned routine and answered call-bells, I decided to put some observational skills into the tasks at hand. Assessing the patients that I have contact with, for any physical abnormalities or conditions.

I can say that this little 'practise' of mine opened my eyes to interesting little details that seem to tell a great deal about the patient's conditions. I'm still slow in 'linking' them into a coherent overall picture but I believe I will improve with more practise.

It is gratifying that I can put theories to practical, bit by bit. Of course, as the senior batch of students now, this would already had been a long-term expectations of us. Let's face it: a majority will still not 'get' it if they only worried about who's gonna sign their books and how much marks they can get. I myself only understood it slowly now. It's interesting that through reflection, learning finally occurs. And these reflective lessons occurs without the need for signing any logbooks or fulfilling some specific criterias.

As a student, I love my learning. As a nurse, I love my patients and my calling. But I can't help feeling that structural training have muddled up and confused the purpose of our learning these skills. By now if anybody cares to read my earlier posts, will know that 'grumblings' about students who are primarily concerned about their MARKS is my pet topic.

If I ever become an educator one day, and a student showed me that he or she is only concerned about how much marks they are getting and neglecting the most basic goal which is patient's wellbeing, I will fail them outright based on their attitudes alone.

Nobody's perfect, including me. But to show care for another human being is something so primal that any human being can do it. Let's not lose sight of what it means to be a professional nurse AND be human.

Observations

I realized the importance of keen observations during the course of our training. It is very important to be observant as we need to be able to tell what the patient whom you are caring for of their intentions. There was so much non-verbal communications going on when interacting with the patients that sometimes even not speaking the same language, we can also communicate with each other.

Observational skills also allow the student nurse to be more active in the learning process. The important thing to add is that observation works much better with asking questions about the things that you want to clarify and to affirm.

Just observation alone will make you a passive learner whom I feel that it is not a very effective way of learning. If going by a theory I heard of, which says that people can learn 10% from seeing, 10% from hearing, 10% from doing, then I think that the other 70% comes from doing all these at the same time and teaching others!

Now I've got a great reason to be a busybody!

Got a message from a former student ealier today that one of her classmates (also a former student student) met with an accident in the early hours of the New Year day. My student was seriously injured and the friend whom she ferried passed on at the scene. When I visited her, she was in SICU and was to go for another operation. She was conscious and recognised me but she insistently told the nurses that she did not want the operation and just wanted to know if her friend whom she ferried was ok or not. I could not lie nor tell the truth but could only tell her that I want to see her walking back to school. I told her she must leave it to good hands now that she is in the hosp. She should leave it to her parents whom have consented to her operation.

I appreciate the guilt feelings one may harbour and it would take time to accept it, but we are on this earth for a reason. If we are not due, we have to make the best of this life. May be she now has two missions in her life. One of her own and the other her friend's.... that really makes it more important that she pulls through and continues in her challenge in life. I wish she recover fully to face the world again.

And to the rest of you... we only pass this earth but once. Make this appearance in this world a worthy one.