Professional Experience Placement

A presentation about the media and health care by Melissa Sweet at the recent Royal College of Nursing Australia ( ACN from 1 July 2012) conference provided plenty of reasons why clinical educators need to be at the forefront of the digital revolution in health care. The presentation demonstrates the scope of the nexus in health care and media.  She also discusses the challenges and opportunities. Melissa’s conclusion highlights the role of the clinical educator in the digital revolution. She states:

“I would like to suggest that digital literacy – in the broadest possible sense – should be seen as a core part of all health professionals’ jobs – for themselves and their patients.

On that note, I’d encourage you all to engage – both professional and personally – with the digital revolution. And don’t forget to share what you learn and discover”.

This  blog and the @PEPCommunity Twitter handle are part of this process of learning and sharing described by Melissa. Clinical educators can be the bridge between students, Faculty and the workplace. Through their role as a guide, they can provide opportunities for their students and their peers by role modelling and demonstrating how emerging technology is being integrated into health care. A method to accelerate their own understanding is to use it themselves for professional development.

With the advent of AHPRA and the subsequent increase on-line PD opportunities (see previous posts); the inception of personally controlled electronic health records; the increase in telehealth facilities and increasing need for understanding technological developments in health care environments provides an impetus to learn about the digital world that can be shared with others. Digital literacy is not an option and it is the clinical educators of today that assist with the preparation of the new graduates of tomorrow.

I recently wrote an article about student use of technology within the SNM. I reported from the study undertaken that students do have gaps in their digital literacy that will impact on their capacity to undertake their role and function within the health care environment. Similarly, clinical educators that do not become familiar with emerging technology will find they too will have developed gaps that will impact on their ability to undertake their role effectively.

Is your digital literacy adequate? Do you need to learn more about it?