Assessment Strategies And Assessor Decisions (Essay Sample)

ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES AND ASSESSOR DECISIONS
Student’s Name
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Assessment Strategies and Assessor Decisions
Introduction
The role of assessment strategies in nursing as in any other profession is of great significance to not only the assessor but also to the assessed. Since the nursing profession is practice-based, it is only prudent that a large part of the learning process and consequent assessment occurs in the clinical area (Bradshaw & Lowenstien 2011). Assessment sessions call for the participation of both the nurse and clinically based mentors or practice guides. An instructor is free to choose from an array of evaluation methods. The most commonly used assessment techniques include filling in questionnaires and conducting face-to-face interviews.
During an evaluation, the mentor not only studies the nurse’s behavior but also seeks to understand the achievements and challenges which they may have encountered during their stay in a health facility. Additionally, the frequency with which these sessions take place is solely determined by a mentor. However, it is prudent for such to be conducted as often as possible. It is especially meaningful if the assessor performs their study just after the nurse’s placement in an institution, in between placement, and after completion of their stay at a health facility. Students and mentors should indicate that they have spent adequate time with one another during this period for the assessment to make sense.
A mentor should be friendly and patient with their students. Both parties should be at ease with each other so that it is possible to work harmoniously. The mentor’s accessibility is not limited to time but should also encompass emotional availability since the student-mentor relationship has a nurturing component. In addition, mentors should be role models. They should set the pace for their students and other nursing professionals. If a guide is poor at time management, the same may rub off on their students. Although most mentors state availability as a significant challenge due to their busy schedules, it is important for them to organize for frequent face-to-face contact with their students. Such interactions will facilitate genuine and consistent that will enable the learners to capitalize on their strengths and strengthen their weaknesses. Students, on the other hand, should gladly partake in any assessments organized by their mentors. They should adhere to every correction that may be done during these visits. Nursing professionals, regardless of their years of practical experience, should be flexible and ready to learn in the ever dynamic health care system.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has set up expectations for the assessment of learning in practice. According to the council, a mentor must have undertaken an approved mentorship preparation program. One must also attend and record an annual instructor update. The NMC instructor defines a registrant who has duly completed an NMC approved mentor development program. This mentor has achieved fully all the knowledge, competencies, and skills that are necessary for one to meet the outcomes that have been defined by NMC. The sign-off mentor, on the other hand, can make judgments about whether or not a student is proficient for safe and efficient practice. This determination will then dictate whether one has met the qualifications that are worth recording in the NMC register. More often than not, sign-off mentors carry out their assessment within the final module before completing the course (Lippincott & Wilkins 2008). In this essay, various assessment strategies will be brought to light. Additionally, the effect of the learning environment on the evaluation process will be discussed.
Key Professional Standards of Nursing Learners
Nursing learners and professionals alike are guided by a set of standards that they are expected to meet. These standards ensure that nursing staff and students understand, appreciate, and follow best practice in delivering healthcare services.
Standard 1: Diagnostic Capabilities during Assessments
This rule requires the nursing learner to conduct a comprehensive and relevant, holistic health assessment on a patient. For one to achieve this objective, classroom knowledge comes in handy. The typical nursing student should demonstrate an unrivaled mastery of knowledge in human sciences and health assessment (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2016). According to this standard, the student should demonstrate appropriate use of diagnostic tools. These diagnoses will form the basis for clinical decision making. Nursing mentors are especially critical in inculcating an economic sense of diagnostic tool selection to their students in addition to emphasizing clear communication with healthcare teams regarding exploratory findings and differential diagnoses.
Additionally, diagnostic reasoning should not be dissociated from the formulation of a diagnosis. For that matter, an assessor will discern the capacity of the assessee to synthesize knowledge of developmental and life stages, psychopathology, environmental risks, and behavioral sciences, among others, during the diagnosis process. Reasoning regarding cost is also a welcome dimension in the diagnosis process (Nelson 2007). One should consider the expenses that a patient may incur and give cheaper and viable options where necessary.
Standard 2: Evaluates Outcome and Improves Practice
The nurse mentor should constantly monitor personal performance. Assessee nurses are required to deploy up-to-date and evidence-based information on therapeutic and clinically interventional pathways to the benefit of patients (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2016). Where possible, these nurses are required to consider a plan for appropriately ceasing or modifying treatment in case of any complications such as allergic reactions. Since medicine is progressive, it is prudent for nurses to be aware of latest discoveries in the industry. They should be active participants in research processes that advocate for the bridging of gaps in the provision of healthcare and services. In summary, it is the mentor’s role to clarify the learner’s depth and recency of knowledge regarding treatment modification, health protection and promotion, and injury prevention (Maville & Huerta 2008). To achieve this task, the assessor or teacher relies on the objective evaluation or critique of learner performance within the healthcare facilities or in delivering policy-sanctioned healthcare services.
Standard 3: Plans Care and Engages Others
The nursing professional is taught to appreciate and own the fact that patients are their personal responsibilities. They should, therefore, critically evaluate relevant research before making decisions that would benefit an individual’s health. All decisions should be arrived at in an ethical manner as anything contrary is detrimental to a patient’s life. Since patients have a right to information on their progress, practicing professionals and their learning partners should allow them to make informed decisions throughout an episode. Here, the nurse mentor or advocate will be responsible for relaying timely and accurate information which will eventually guide their subsequent decisions (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2016).
Standard 4: Implements Therapeutic Interventions
Professionals should never abandon an opportunity to inform patients about their treatment, prognosis, and possible outcomes. When administering medication, they are expected to educate an individual on the name and importance of the drug. Additionally, any therapeutic interventions should be such that they are safely prescribed and accompanied with professional integrity and ethical conduct. The carer should willingly and accurately give relevant information concerning any therapeutic interventions. It should be such that a nurse maintains a professional relationship with the individuals at the center of care. This standard also calls for adherence to the federal, state, and other laws that govern the nursing training and professional practice (Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2016).
After diagnosis, the professional or student should be available to make the necessary follow-up concerning the patient’s progress. Follow-up should be done within the provided timeframe so that the patient is assured of a steady, speedy, and best possible recovery. It is imprudent for the typical nursing staff or student to abandon the person receiving care before they have fully regained their health. However, unavoidable circumstances such as scheduled patient transfers call for a thoroughly prepared patient history record to go with the transfer so that another nurse or clinician can make a timely follow-up (Zerwekh & Garneau 2014).
Key Issues in the Case Study
In the case study, several issues come to light concerning the role and responsibilities of the nurse. These issues directly affect the quality of patient healthcare in different lights.
Poor Time Management
It is unfortunate that the learner nurse arrives for the interview half an hour later after the stipulated time. Surprisingly, the nurse is not apologetic, and it seems that on a typical day, she reports at around the same hour. Evidently, the assessee has no sense of prioritization as is evident when she attests to the fact that she took over the receptionist’s duties while the latter was away on a lunch break. It is an indication that she does not understand her role as a healthcare professional and the importance of efficiently utilizing her limited time and that of the staff that she works with. A healthcare facility staffed with nursing personnel that have no respect for time management is ...