Continuing Education Course for Expatriate Nurses
A nursing curriculum needs to incorporate the key elements of theory and practice, at the same time, giving students enough flexibility and being easily adjustable to their needs. The pliability of a learning curriculum is particularly important for an expatriate nurse (EP), who face a range of challenges associated with social and cultural accommodation. While being quite vulnerable to the changes in the educational program, EPs also have the potential to improve the quality of services since EPs are more likely to display cultural compassion to patients (Albougami, 2015).
The specified characteristics of EPs need to be taken into consideration when designing a curriculum that will allow EPs to acquire relevant skills and build the knowledge system for managing diverse patients’ needs.
In order to approach EPs and create a sustainable academic program for them, one should use the approach based on the Humanistic approach. Specifically, the Humanistic Learning Theory (HLT) allows improving the existing curriculum so that it could encourage students to shape their behaviors and acquire the skills that will help them to tend to the culture-specific needs of patients.
Since the HLT appeals to the need for self-actualization and personal growth, it is likely to reinforce the levels of motivation among students, thus encouraging them to learn new information and develop new skills regularly. When incorporated together with a well-thought-out system of values, it can provide the basis for a philosophy based on self-directed learning. As a result, students will acquire the ability to improve their skills and build a knowledge system independently.
Therefore, with the help of the HLT framework, one will be able to shape the curriculum in a way that will allow empowering learners to acquire new skills. Specifically, the identified approach toward managing the curriculum will build the platform for the future growth of a student and facilitate the environment for professional development. With the help of the proposed tool, one will introduce the concepts of empathy and supportive attitudes into the learning framework (Bastable, 2003). As a result, students will see the process of managing patients’ needs through the prism of a patient-specific approach and will be capable of establishing a strong emotional connection with COPD patients, thus creating an immediate rapport.
The goal of the project is to shape the current nursing curriculum in a way that will allow teaching students a chance to use their character-specific qualities to engage in professional growth and develop the skills that will help them cater to the needs of vulnerable groups to the greatest extent. Specifically, fostering empathy and the skill of engaging in meaningful communication with a patient, thus leading to the management of their health needs and starting the patent education process, should be mentioned. The HLT framework will serve as the foundation for appealing to the nurses on the emotional level and helping them to use their character traits to advance their communication skills and become proficient in nursing.
Furthermore, the HLT tool will allow nurses to identify their strengths and weaknesses, thus understanding what strategies they can use in order to address the needs of patients from different cultural backgrounds, respectively. Therefore, the use of the specified theory will be critical for helping nurses to determine their strengths and weaknesses and acquire the skills that will assist them in managing the needs of diverse, vulnerable groups (Li et al., 2014). Specifically, empathy and appropriate communication skills will be needed. Thus, a coherent curriculum will be devised (see Table 1).
Table 1. Curriculum for EPs for building their empathy and communication skills.
As Table 1 shows, it is critical to include subjects such as Ethics and Communication into the curriculum to ensure that EPs have the opportunity to acculturate to the new setting and, at the same time to assist them in acquiring the skills that will help them to use their empathy. The focus on patient-nurse communication, which the introduction of the communication course provides, should also be seen as a necessary addition to the curriculum.
With the help of the proposed changes, one will encourage a gradual shift in EPs’ perception of patients’ needs. As a result, EPs will see the target demographic as the vulnerable groups that require particularly careful attention and delicate treatment. For instance, the emphasis on the psychosocial development of EPs will be crucial since it will prompt the acquisition of skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, and readiness to build rapport with a patient.
The goals of the course, therefore, include the promotion of empathy among nurses and the introduction of learners to the idea of trust as the foundation for interacting with patients. In addition, the course will promote the vision of diversity in nursing as the platform for building the quality of care. The ethical principles, in turn, will have to be based on the idea of utilitarianism and the focus on acting on behalf of patients and their needs.
In addition, EPs will have to be taught to address the dilemmas that arise with the conflict between patients’ philosophy and the promotion of health. As a result, EPs will engage with patients from diverse communities by addressing the challenges that the specified vulnerable demographic experiences and providing them with an opportunity to recognize and explore these concerns.
CAPD Home Maintenance: An Educational Program
The skills and knowledge that a nurse should use in the process of assisting a patient with CAPD in transitioning from the hospital setting to the home environment primarily include dieting issues. Specifically, a nurse should provide a patient with dieting options that include low levels of serum phosphate. Thus, the education program will provide patients with crucial information and, at the same time, convince them to follow the provided guidelines strictly (Bastade, 2003).
In addition, it will be critical to reaching the target demographic about the significance of regular hemodialysis as the key life-sustaining procedure that they will need to undergo. Specifically, nurses will have to instruct patients about the schedule for performing the procedure, the preparation stages, such as the location of the vascular access, and other important pieces of information. Finally, dietary changes will need to be discussed with COPD patients in depth.
The goals of the educational program are, therefore, twofold since the program targets both short- and long-term objectives. The goals of the program are to encourage students to encourage patient education, approach patients’ needs with empathy, and engage in continuous learning. These goals are linked directly to the objectives of teaching the patient about the immediate responses that they have to provide when facing a specific threat of their health, as well as performing routine actions such as hemodialysis. The long-term objectives, in turn, are targeted at promoting patient independence and the ability to locate and learn health-related information.
The process of continuous learning will pursue the objectives of developing inquiry, building analytical skills, and using evidence-based research. Furthermore, the patient will need to develop the ability to discern erroneous data from facts when it comes to health management in accordance with Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory (Curtis & Tuzo, 2016). Thus, the patient will be able to identify threats to their health and address them, respectively, at the same time using all available resources, including the support of nurses.
Thus, the program also incorporates behavioral objectives that imply shaping the patient’s attitude toward their disease. Specifically, it is necessary to teach the patient to be careful and patient, taking the necessary precautionary measures to ensure that all steps are performed properly. The specified behavior is crucial for performing procedures such as the insertion of a catheter for dialysis. The behavioral objectives include shaping learners’ perception of patients’ needs, promoting empathy in learners, and introducing them to the concept of lifelong learning.
Thus, a patient should exhibit curiosity and inquisitiveness, which will become the platform for further education. Nurse educators should ensure that the patient should be responsible and self-sufficient while relying on the instructions provided to them by healthcare providers. Thus, a balanced approach toward health management will be built. Introducing a patient to the idea of self-care is a challenging task, yet, with a well-developed communication strategy and the focus on the unique characteristics of the patient in question, a nurse will be able to create a safe and comfortable setting for the further transition.
References
Albougami, A. (2015). Role of language and communication in providing quality healthcare by expatriate nurses in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Health Specialties, 3(3), 166-172. Web.
Bastable, S. (2003). Nurse as educator: Principles of teaching and learning for nursing practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Curtis, C. M., & Tuzo, C. N. (2016). Psychiatric mental health: Davis essential nursing content + practice questions. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
Li, Y. S., Yu, W. P., Liu, C. F., Shieh, S. H., & Yang, B. H. (2014). An exploratory study of the relationship between learning styles and academic performance among students in different nursing programs. Contemporary Nurse, 48(2), 229-239.