Teaching staff of TNMU Academic and Research Institute of Nursing, Director Svitlana Danchak and her deputy Liudmyla Mazur took part in an internship at MacEwan University (Edmonton, Canada). The internship lasted from October 27 to November 14, 2023.
The program included participation in a number of events, including lectures, seminars, and practical classes, during which participants not only actively discussed their experience in conducting classes, but also shared their methods of conducting them.
Participation in the seminar “Nursing practice in the community” with colleagues Leanna Topola and Robin Cooper gave a great impetus for further development in this field and the opportunity to get acquainted with the latest trends in the routine practice of nursing in the community.
Impressions from the visit to the virtual simulation centre were extremely positive. Jill Vihos told the TNMU delegation about the work of the virtual simulation hall, which is equipped with modern nursing simulation scenarios.
Thanks to well-chosen scenarios and high-quality equipment, we had the opportunity to obtain realistic simulations that are successfully used by students during their studies.
Attending a class on recognizing and eliminating structural oppression (black people, indigenous peoples, people of colour and health 2+ LGBTQ2) with Colleen Maykut provided an opportunity to assess the perception of society about the important issues raised and to discuss the specifics of a nurse’s work with this category of patients. Based on the results of the internship, a new optional course will be introduced, which is designed to acquaint students with the key aspects of this issue.
Participants received a valuable opportunity for professional development in the context of providing care to people with chronic diseases by attending the practical session “Living with Chronic Illnesses” with Lisa McKendrick-Calder. Taking into account a holistic approach in education is defined as an important step in improving the training of future nursing professionals. That is why a new selective course “Holistic Nursing” will be offered to applicants of Academic and Research Institute of Nursing at the second (master’s) level of higher education. This course, based on the real-world experience of Canadian colleagues, will not only allow students to gain a deeper understanding of how to provide care for people with chronic diseases, but will also contribute to the development of comprehensive nursing skills.
Together with Elizabeth Burgess-Pinto, further prospects for the development of the “Global Health” project were jointly discussed and a preliminary plan of activities for the session in April-May 2024 was developed. The spring course of 2024 will be the sixth course for the subject “Global Health”, which is conducted in cooperation with the faculty of MacEwan University and TNMU, involving nursing students from both educational institutions.
The members of the delegation studied the peculiarities of teaching the specialization program for nurses in the field of “Mental Health Nursing”, the leading teachers of which are Brian Parker and Ken Kustiak. For 2.5 years, training is conducted on the basis of Ponoka-Centennial Center for Mental Health & Brain Injury.
While using the Virtual Anatomical Imaging System table, we had a scientific discussion with Professor Raj Naware. Having gained experience in the use of virtual visualization technology, which is used to train nurses, we have shown great interest in further scientific research in this direction.
Attending a surgical nursing seminar with teacher Tanya Heuver gave us a unique opportunity to see the methods of teaching students this subject, as well as to gain practical experience in solving situational problems among students. First, students practice the theoretical component and only then have the opportunity to practice their knowledge in the simulation centre.
Thanks to Colette Foisy-Doll, head of the clinical simulation centre, the delegation got acquainted with the methodology of conducting simulation training for both university students and postgraduates. Associate Professor Svitlana Danchak directly participated in a class with a group of nursing students in the simulation centre. In a practical session with the participation of standardized patients, student nurses worked in teams according to a scenario developed by the staff of the stimulation learning centre. Video recordings and subsequent discussion of team actions while working with the patient (debriefing) were conducted. A simulated neonatology class was conducted on pre-programmed interactive mannequins, with students performing the first nursing examination of a new-born baby. Peculiarities of conducting stimulation training for students of the nursing faculty, technical and educational and methodological support were discussed with the teachers.
