Time Log
Total Hours Completed: 76
Introduction
Participation in practicum experiences is a critical learning opportunity for students since it supports the latter in drawing links between theory and practice. Aside from the chance to observe clinical activities and real-life scenarios, such experiences motivate focused reflection. In this journal entry for weeks 4-7, I describe one staff teaching activity observed in an urgent care setting, analyze the issue of infection prevention using an evidence-based approach, and explore the experiences’ connections to the theories of change and adult learning.
Observed Activity
Infection prevention guidelines must be carefully explained to all care providers, with close attention paid to new employees’ skills in using personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand hygiene knowledge. During the seventh week, I had an opportunity to observe new staff education in an urgent care facility and attend a 1-hour training session for RNs. The learning opportunity was presented by the facility’s nursing instructor and one outside professional – the representative of the company from which the facility purchased a new product for equipment sterilization.
The staff teaching session was divided into three parts, including the new equipment presentation, the dissemination of wound care booklets, and the question and answers section. The medical software company’s representative explained the benefits of one product, the mobile ultraviolet disinfection cabinet used to disinfect small equipment and staff members’ personal possessions, and provided brief product exploitation training, including appropriate uses, safety precautions, and the signs of equipment breakdowns. Next, the nurse trainer disseminated printed materials devoted to infection prevention in wound care and explained the new product’s role in supporting the facility’s infection prevention policies. Finally, staff members were invited to ask questions regarding best practices in using the disinfection cabinet and associated limitations, and the educators provided well-formulated answers to maximize new learning.
Analysis of the Problem
Infection prevention, including COVID-19 and wound site contamination, remains a priority for urgent care settings dealing with patients with diverse vulnerabilities. Along with the use of personal protective equipment to minimize airborne disease transmission, urgent care centers widely implement equipment sterilization and ultraviolet disinfection techniques (Fay et al., 2019; Popescu et al., 2021). Research evidence suggests positive influences of UV disinfection with the help of disinfection robots or disinfection cabinets using UV-C light in terms of contamination prevention (Cadnum et al., 2020; Popescu et al., 2021). Also, products for UV disinfection are considered a promising intervention for addressing the shortage of disposable personal protective devices, which might be crucial for healthcare settings that do not receive substantial funding during infectious disease pandemics (Cadnum et al., 2020). At the same time, when it comes to disinfecting respirator masks, modern researchers are concerned that the effectiveness of UV decontamination techniques may depend on the disinfected objects’ physical properties, including materials, shape, and so on (Cadnum et al., 2020). In general, as the mentioned studies suggest, the selected measure can be a helpful addition to urgent care facilities’ standard infection prevention protocols.
Real-World Mirroring of Theory
There are two theories of interest that the experience described above reflects: Kurt Lewin’s change model and the andragogy theory by Malcolm Knowles. The first theory suggests that organizational change occurs as a sequence of three steps: unfreezing, changing, and refreezing (Hussain et al., 2018). These stages involve creating and explaining the need for change, motivating a new set of behaviors, and then transforming the desired behaviors into the new norm that all staff members are expected to follow (Hussain et al., 2018). In the case described above, the teaching session probably represents the third stage of the change process. It has been preceded by decision-making at the managerial level and the evaluation of the proposal to purchase new disinfection cabinets for better infection prevention, which is the unfreezing stage. Next, equipment purchasing decisions have been made to equip the facility with new products during the change stage. Finally, as part of the refreezing stage, staff members have been instructed on when and how to use the equipment, which demonstrates the attempt to promote and solidify a new habit.
The selected experience also mirrors the andragogy theory, which is evident from the selection of training methods and approaches by the two instructors. In his theory, Malcolm Knowles proposes a set of assumptions regarding teaching adults, including the latter’s need to understand the purpose of learning something, the benefits of experiential learning, and the effectiveness of learning when the topic’s immediate value is explained (Sato et al., 2017). The purpose of the training session, such as improving the culture of infection prevention, was explained to RNs right before the educational activities. Moreover, the experiential learning component has been addressed by the Q&A session and the product demonstration activity. The lesson’s value has been made explicit by the nursing instructor in her explanation of new practices’ alignment with the facility’s goals related to patient safety.
Conclusion
To sum up; the observed staff teaching event enabled the facility to further improve its infection prevention approaches by motivating new behaviors. The experience has been informed by the well-known adult learning principles, which found reflection in the measures to promote an understanding of the topic’s purpose and promote intellectual engagement. The training session and efforts preceding it demonstrate the facility’s understanding of the concept of gradual change.
References
Cadnum, J. L., Li, D. F., Redmond, S. N., John, A. R., Pearlmutter, B., & Donskey, C. J. (2020). Effectiveness of ultraviolet-C light and a high-level disinfection cabinet for decontamination of N95 respirators.Pathogens and Immunity, 5(1), 52-57.
Fay, L. N., Wolf, L. M., Brandt, K. L., DeYoung, G. R., Anderson, A. M., Egwuatu, N. E., & Dumkow, L. E. (2019). Pharmacist-led antimicrobial stewardship program in an urgent care setting.American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 76(3), 175-181.
Hussain, S. T., Lei, S., Akram, T., Haider, M. J., Hussain, S. H., & Ali, M. (2018). Kurt Lewin’s change model: A critical review of the role of leadership and employee involvement in organizational change. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 3(3), 123-127.
Popescu, S., Leach, R., & Robinson, K. (2021). Establishing a pre-COVID-19 hospital biopreparedness initiative. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 1-4.
Sato, T., Haegele, J. A., & Foot, R. (2017). Developing online graduate coursework in adapted physical education utilizing andragogy theory. Quest, 69(4), 453-466.