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Topic 3-2
The Practical Nurse as a Teacher

Teaching refers to activities by which specific objectives or desired behavior changes are achieved. It is an interactive process between the teacher and one or more learners. Patient teaching is inherent to the role of nursing by virtue of the nurse's position at the bedside. Shorter hospital stays which require patients to manage convalescence at home, and emphasis on health promotion and health maintenance rather than on treatment alone, have increased the need for health teaching by nurses.

After completing this lesson, you should be able to:

• Identify five general facts related to patient teaching.
• Identify five steps used in the teaching-learning process.
• Identify factors which affect patient learning.
• Cite principles of effective teaching and learning.
• Identify the three types of learning.
• Cite major type(s) of learning related to a specific teaching strategy.
• Cite  guidelines that can help the nurse in ordering the learning experience.

Select a Lesson:

	Facts Related to Patient Teaching
	Steps In the Teaching-Learning Process
	Factors Which Affect Learning
	Principles for Effective Teaching-Learning
	Types of Learning and Teaching Stragegies

The role of the practical nurse varies with the situation. Practical nurses actively participate as team leaders, managers, and teachers. The traditional skills of nurses were psychomotor skills involving use of the hands. Individualizing care and communicating activities require nurses to use affective skills. Cognitive skills are required in all aspects of the nursing process. These expanded nursing roles have established new dimensions for nursing practice.

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