Applied Learning Experiences in an an Online Accelerated Degree Completion Nursing Program: The Leadership and Management Practicum

Audience Level: 
All
Session Time Slot(s): 
Special Session: 
OLC Award Winner
OLC Session
Strands (Select 1 top-level strand. Then select as many tags within your strand as apply.): 
Abstract: 

Nurses enrolled in online accelerated degree completion programs can benefit from participating in applied learning experiences where they transfer theory into clinical practice under the guidance of nursing faculty, but without direct supervision. The experiences must ensure safety of student and those in the clinical setting. A Leadership and Management Practicum was designed and implemented in a 7.5 week online course in a Registered Nurse-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BS) program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). The practicum was based on the National Society for Experiential Education’s (1998) Eight Principles of Good Practice for All Experiential Learning Activities, and aligned with the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan specific to experiential/applied learning. Goals of the project were to 1.) Facilitate student identification of the leadership and management skills they possessed at these beginning of the course, 2.) Engage students in 7 applied learning experiences where they could safely apply leadership and management theory to nursing practice and determine how their skills align with those of effective leaders and managers, and 3.) Encourage ongoing development of leadership and management skills beyond course completion. The practicum included 7 applied learning experiences that students completed in clinical settings where they worked and in simulated settings, and 7 reflective blog activities that facilitated critical reflection, student-student interaction, and student-faculty interaction. Assessment of student learning and evaluation of project effectiveness were measured using standardized rubrics. Results of project evaluation indicate that implementation of the applied learning experience in the Leadership and Management in Health Care course facilitated student achievement of course learning outcomes, or learning effectiveness. This was accomplished using existing resources at the University and accessing nursing practice settings where students work as nurses.

Position: 
2
Conference Session: 
Concurrent Session 10
Session Type: 
Effective Practice Award Discovery Session