Running head: TEACHING PRACTICUM SMART OUTCOMES 1

Teaching Practicum SMART Outcomes

Kristen Eden
Bethel College
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Teaching Practicum SMART Outcomes

The teaching practicum for the Master of Science in Nursing-Nurse Educator program at

Bethel College provides registered nurses with a precepted experience teaching undergraduate

nurses in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical setting. The outcomes for the course include

aspects such as critical thinking, effective communication, evaluation of the nursing process,

utilization of the research process, and integration of learning theory to develop educators that

are able to teach and promote excellence in nursing students. The teaching practicum begins with

development of individual learning goals and outcomes for the experience.

The development of clearly defined course learning outcomes enables the educator to

provide their students with realistic learning goals. Learning outcomes should be developed

before beginning the development of the course, as this ensures that learning material will

encourage higher-level learning instead of simple recall of information. Providing students with

learning outcomes helps them comprehend how the learning material and assignments will assist

them in reaching their learning goals for the course. This encourages students to take charge of

their learning as they see what is expected of them is clearly defined and realistic to obtain

(McDonald, 2018).

SMART outcomes are those that are specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, and

time-phased (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2017). By writing learning

outcomes in this way, the educator can paint a vivid picture of the learning that is expected of the

student. SMART outcomes also assist in improving the evaluation process, as the educator can

use them to develop high-quality rubrics to grade assignments (Dennison, Rosselli, & Dempsey,

2015).
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My personal outcomes for the teaching practicum include actions I will take to improve

in areas of my nursing practice that I feel need further development in order to effectively teach

nursing students. I began the development of these outcomes by reflecting on the fears that I

have about teaching nursing students. I then formulated actions and goals that will assist me in

overcoming those fears so that I might improve my confidence in my nursing skills, knowledge,

and teaching strategies.

Personal Outcomes

1.) By the beginning of the BSN semester, this MSN student will refresh her knowledge

of medication actions and side effects by reviewing her pharmacology book for one hour

per day to be confident when questioning BSN students in the clinical setting.

My first outcome reflects my desire to gain a more thorough understanding of medication

classes and safety indications. Though I have been practicing as a nurse for five years, I do not

yet feel confident that my knowledge of medications is sufficient to effectively quiz and teach

students. I feel that I need to refresh my memory in this way. I will review my pharmacology

book for one hour each day and review the medications by classes to refresh my memory on the

actions, side effects, and nursing indications of each class.

2.) By the beginning of the BSN semester, this MSN student will have reviewed nursing

skills to be taught during medical/surgical clinical and Simulation lab.

This outcome reflects my desire to teach students the proper way to perform nursing

skills such as physical assessments, foley insertions, and drain management. I want to review

these skills so that I teach my students the correct way to perform these skills. I will review my

physical assessment text as well to refresh my memory of the technical terms of each aspect of
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the head-to-toe assessment. I will also review nursing skills in the Mosby nursing index I have

access to as an employee of Memorial Hospital.

3.) By the second week of BSN clinical, this MSN student will be comfortable with the

clinical setting in which she will be teaching and know what resources are available and

who to ask for guidance from.

This outcome reflects my desire to be comfortable with the environment in which I will

be teaching by knowing the layout of the unit as well as the fellow nursing staff I can go to for

answers. I will participate in the tour of the nursing units with my preceptor and students. And I

will introduce myself to staff members when appropriate and attempt to build professional

relationships with those working on the units.

4.) By the 6th week of the semester (2nd half), this MSN student will be able to prepare

learning outcomes, an outline, and a class presentation for theory portion of BSN

medical/surgical course.

This outcome reflects my goal of effectively teaching nursing students by first providing

specific learning outcomes for the nursing students. I want my students to clearly understand the

goal of the teaching time and what will be accomplished during my presentation of the material.

The creation of quality learning outcomes will show students how the learning material and

activities will assist them in meeting their learning goals (McDonald, 2018). I also want to teach

the learning material in creative ways and utilize active learning strategies such as role play and

case studies to encourage interest and creative thinking.

5.) By the fourth week of clinical, this student will be familiar and comfortable grading

student course work.

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This outcome reflects my desire to learn a variety of evaluation methods and strategies to

effectively grade student course work. I want to learn how to grade nursing care plans and e-

journals and provide feedback that will assist students in making connections between their

patient’s condition and the care they are to provide. I also want to learn more about the exam

development and grading process.

6.) By the end of the third week of clinical, this MSN student will be capable of

addressing and correcting noncompliance in safe practice by BSN students in the clinical

setting in a constructive manner.

This outcome reflects my desire to ensure that my students are providing care in a safe

and effective manner. I want to learn how to effectively address students when I see errors in

safety so that I can ensure that my students are providing the best possible care to their patients. I

will evaluate for correct hand hygiene and utilization of isolation precautions, sterile technique,

safety when ambulating patients, and safety in medication administration. I will make sure that I

discreetly address the student so as not to embarrass them in front of their patient but ensure that

they are aware of their breech in safe technique and attempt to correct the mistake.

7.) By the 4th week of clinical, this MSN student will be able to facilitate post-conference

conversation and learning activities.

I feel that quality learning takes place during post-conference time in the clinical setting.

Students are encouraged to reflect on their experiences and educate each other on their patient’s

diseases and treatments. This time also allows students to obtain further input from the instructor

on proper care techniques and evaluation of effectiveness of treatment. I want to be learn how to
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ask questions that encourage deeper thought and processing in my students and assist them in

correlating all aspects of care for their patient.

8.) By the third week of clinical, this MSN student will be capable of choosing

appropriate patient assignment for BSN students in the clinical setting to maximize

student learning.

This outcome reflects my goal of providing students with appropriate patient assignments

that will incorporate the learning that they obtain in the classroom setting to the care they provide

their patients in the clinical setting. I want to hear about their learning goals and be familiar with

the skills they have not yet been able to perform so that I can choose patients for them that will

allow them to practice these skills. Logan and Clark state that making quality clinical

assignments includes assessing course objectives and outcomes, student personal interests and

learning needs, appropriateness of individual patients, and willingness of staff members to

precept (Logan & Clarke, 2016). I want to remember these factors when making patients

assignments this semester.

9.) By the 6th week of the BSN medical/surgical course, this MSN student will be able to

write test item questions that coordinate with didactic teaching.

This outcome relates to my desire to improve my test item writing skills. The teaching

practicum will provide opportunities to do this with the test question critique assignment as well

as the requirement to write and incorporate five test questions into the didactic and clinical

teaching presentations. I want to learn how to challenge my students and assess their

understanding by writing test questions that encourage higher-level thinking with application and

analysis of the learning material.

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10.) By the end of the teaching practicum, this MSN student will have a thorough

understanding of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to pass a BSN med/surg

student in the clinical and didactic setting.

This outcome will be accomplished as I review the course learning objectives and

outcomes for the medical-surgical level two students that I will be working with this semester. I

will learn what is necessary for the students to learn and be evaluated on. I am thankful to have a

preceptor that is knowledgeable and willing to coach me through the process of teaching and

evaluating the undergraduate nursing students

Conclusion

This teaching practicum will provide me with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to teach

and evaluate undergraduate nursing students in the clinical and classroom setting. Developing

my personal outcomes has assisted me in setting goals for the semester. I am now able to start

preparing and planning ways to accomplish these goals. I will utilize my resources such as my

nursing education text, assigned readings and podcasts to improve my skills as a nurse educator.

I will also elicit advise from my preceptor, fellow students, and course faculty as I work to

accomplish my goals this semester.

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References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Heart disease and stroke prevention

program evaluation guides. Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/docs/smart_objectives.pdf

Dennison, R., Rosselli, J., & Dempsey, A. (2015). Evaluation beyond exams in nursing

education: Designing assignments and evaluations with rubrics. New York, NY:

Springer Publishing Company.

Logan, P. & Clarke, S. (2016). Get your hands dirty! Improving student clinical experience.

Nursing Management, 47(5), 10-12. doi: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000482499.82817.f2

McDonald, M. (2018). The nurse educator’s guide to assessing learning outcomes (4th ed.).

Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.