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Promoting and Providing Expert Guidance in Work-intensive Clinical Settings

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Abstract

This paper discusses how expert guidance can be best provided in work intensive clinical settings. The adequacy for supporting learning in the clinical practicum for health care disciplines is often complicated by the intensive work practices in healthcare settings. Often, clinicians’ work is so intense that the scope for providing close guidance for students is quite restricted. The case advanced here draws on a range of empirical work to propose how clinician-student interactions might be optimized through the provision of a clinical supervisor to assist clinicians develop collegial relationships and acquire skills in guided learning such as demonstrating and role-modeling. These roles can contribute in essential ways to the development of learning environments where clinicians have the opportunity to facilitate the learning of others as part of their workload, and without being burdened by the requirements of teaching and assessment processes. It differs from other approaches because although clinicians partner students and provide feedback to them, clinicians are not expected to formally assess or award a grade for student performance. Assessment and remedial action, when required, is undertaken by the role of a designated clinical supervisor qualified to perform such activities.

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Acknowledgements

Griffith University Learning and Teaching Grant

No conflict of interest exists within this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Griffith Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

    Amanda J. Henderson

  2. Education, Nursing Practice Development Unit, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia

    Amanda J. Henderson

  3. AMC Assessment Services, Australian Medical Council, Kingston, ACT, Australia

    Heather Alexander

  4. School of Pharmacy, Griffith Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

    Alison Haywood

  5. Robina, Queensland, Australia

    Peta Stapleton

  6. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

    Marie Cooke & Elizabeth Patterson

  7. Clinical Education, School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Griffith Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

    Megan Dalton

  8. Alice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore, Singapore

    Debra K. Creedy

Authors
  1. Amanda J. Henderson
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  2. Heather Alexander
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  3. Alison Haywood
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  5. Marie Cooke
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  7. Megan Dalton
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  8. Debra K. Creedy
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Correspondence to Amanda J. Henderson.

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Henderson, A.J., Alexander, H., Haywood, A. et al. Promoting and Providing Expert Guidance in Work-intensive Clinical Settings. Vocations and Learning 3, 141–156 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-010-9036-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-010-9036-3

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