Waiting for the motivation fairy
by Hugh Kearns and Maria Gardiner
When you’ve a task to do such as writing an assignment it’s tempting to say “Mañana Mañana”. However, there are only so many “tomorrows” before the deadline and repeated delaying can contribute to unnecessary stress. Instead of giving in to procrastination, click on the image below to get some tips on how to get your drive back, and get your work done on time!
I’d like to pass on this message from Professor Rowntree as posted in a blog by Professor Debbie Holley, Centre for Excellence in Learning, Bournemouth University. This is a great opportunity to get what sounds like an excellent book and at no cost if you order next week, Hope you like the book and read on to find out more!
“I am posting here in the understanding that we share a concern with helping students improve their approaches to learning. Back in 1970 my book (Learn How to Study) was one of the first to pursue this aim and proved sufficiently useful to go through several editions until the pressures of work at the Open University meant I had to let it go out of print (and date) for some years.
Now I am retired, however, I have been able to bring it up to date and have recently published the 6th edition as a Kindle book (to make the most of digital portability and keep the price down). It is available both as a single volume and (for students who need only some of its content) with its content divided over five smaller Kindles.
The book enters a world in which there is vastly more advice on studying available than when it first appeared and most universities have developed materials and other support specific to their local needs. Nevertheless, colleagues may feel that an outside perspective (such as my book offers) can sometimes provide useful reinforcement. So I hope you will feel able to add it to the arsenal of resources you already provide or recommend to students.
The book normally costs £6.47 (including the free Kindle app that some students may need in order to read it on their favourite device). But for five days next week, Monday 15 – Friday 18th November, the book (and app) will be FREE to anyone who cares to download a copy from Amazon (at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UUD3JGY). Downloaders will be under no obligation and I will get no information about who they are”.
Exam Stress? Here’s how to cope by Ian Roberson
If the thought of exams fills you with dread, read this Exam stress article by Ian Robertson (right click and select rotate to get it facing the right way!) and see if, instead of interpreting your change in physiology around exam time (including increased heart rate, sweating) as anxiety, tell yourself you’re excited! This might sound crazy at first thought but consider this, if you interpret how you feel as being excited rather than anxious, you’ll probably get a better mark in your exam – that’s worth getting excited about.
[P.S. You may also not the article at the bottom of the page on facial recognition. Did you that BU has a Centre for Face Processing Disorders? Some people have real difficulty telling who someone is only by looking at their face, and rely on other things such as mannerisms, speech, hair, clothing etc. This difficulty in facial recognition is called prosopagnosia. In contrast, some people are ‘super-recognisers’ who may be of particular use in policing and national security. Have a look at the Centre’s website to find out more].
Editorial: Reflections on being a new nurse: 10 insights after four weeks as a registered nurse by Emma Blakey and Debra Jackson (2016)
When describing to student nurses what it is like when you first graduate I typically use the analogy of learning to drive a car: the ‘real’ learning happens after you pass your test. You pass the test and you are now a ‘driver’ – good luck to you, and everyone else on the road. While the analogy holds true to some extent – you are now a ‘nurse’, good luck to you and your patients – thankfully there is far more support for newly registered nurses compared to newly qualified drivers.
In the above-named editorial, newly registered nurse Emma Blakely generously describes ten insights based on her first month in practice which you will find useful, especially if you’re due to qualify soon. Emma does not shirk from the scariness of having to make autonomous, accountable, decisions on behalf of patients, including worrying about forgetting something:
“I had to stop myself from calling the ward at 11pm about a patient I had left earlier that evening” (Blakey and Jackson 2016)
She does also however highlight the support she has been offered – it is understood that she, like any other newly registered nurse, is not the finished product.
The learning curve is huge, but with the right support (don’t forget your old nursing tutors!), you will get there. The transition from student nurse to registered nurse can understandably feel scary enough but get this, Emma is also doing a PhD – now that is scary ; )
Does working as a group actually help us learn? by Dean Burnett
Have you ever wondered whether all that group work you have (had) to do at university was of much benefit for your own learning? Does the thought of another group assignment make you want to vomit? Whether it does or not, I advise you read this excellent piece on group/team learning by Dean Burnett, where he covers many of the pros and cons of learning in groups. Bear in mind though that for all the potential faults associated with learning in a group, nurses have to work in teams, and effective teamwork is essential to get the best outcomes for our patients.
TBL in action – Medical Students announcing their team answers to their group-work, Tulane University
Evidence is starting to suggest that team-based learning (TBL) is an effective strategy for promoting the development of skills and knowledge required of 21st century nurses, including that of critical thinking (for example). For that reason I’ve started introducing TBL into the nursing curriculum at BU in the teaching of applied pathophysiology (I’ll be presenting results on the evaluation of this at NET2016 in Cambridge, September 2016 – suffice to say the results are looking good).
The benefits of working as a team is not just about individual learning of course. As Burdett concludes, ‘It’s rare to encounter an employer or institute that doesn’t emphasise “teamwork skills” these days, and in our increasingly interconnected society, learning how to be part of a group is something worth working on, regardless of the task itself”. So, learn to love the team…
NB. A group of individuals may remain just that, and not function as an team. So with group work we also want to encourage the development of effective teams.
‘Sepsis – A guide for New Nurses and Student Nurses in Emergency Care” a blog by Tom Hreben a registered nurse who works in emergency.
Student nurses particularly will find this blog interesting. Also note the comments at the bottom of the blog which highlight that sepsis pathways are likely to change. This is largely because the SIRS criteria cast quite a wide net, in other words, someone might score on two of the criteria, but not have SIRS, and further, not have sepsis. So watch this space for the pathway criteria changing. If you want to know more about why it is recommended to change the criteria, click here .
Keep the NHS Bursary
At the moment, student nurses do not pay tuition fees and receive a means tested bursary during their training, but Government plan to end the NHS bursary. If you are an existing student nurse please do not panic – your bursary is safe. It is not safe however for your future colleagues (those starting first year in the 2017-18 academic year) who look set to miss out on this financial help which is a necessity for many student nurses who are typically too busy studying and looking after patients to earn much money during their studies, unlike students studying most other programmes.
You may have noticed the online petition, ‘Keep the NHS Bursary’. Government responds to all petitions than get more than 10,000 signatures; this petition has received, so far, 145,250 signatures, so it will be debated in Parliament on 11th January 2016. Have you signed it?
In partnership with @WeNurses and London South Bank University there will be a digital debate on the NHS Bursary on Twitter on 6 January from 6-8pm. This will be a chance to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences on this subject. This chat will feed into the Westminster Hall debate on 11 January. Get involved on #WeNurses. And maybe you could attend the live debate at London South Bank University? See if there are tickets available by clicking here.
If you want to contact your local MP before the debate to encourage them to take part and raise the issues that concern you, you can find out who they are and how to contact them here: http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/
The next thing you can do is watch Parliament debate the petition on the 11th January 2016. It will be online at parliamentlive.tv, so you can find out some of the arguments for and against scrapping the bursary. Which argument will win?
Acknowledgement: Much of the information above was gratefully received from The Petitions Team, UK Government and Parliament.
