Professional Experience Placement

Murphy and Timmins (2008) undertook a study to explored professional development of nurse educators using an action research framework. The authors used  reflection as method of personal learning that could then be shared within a community of practice. This individualised practice was encouraged as a professional development opportunity to  to develop further learning and theory development. It was this group activity known as ‘workplace’ learning incorporating reflection upon practice that enabled knowledge development and a ‘set of socially defined ways of doing things in a specific domain’. The authors also noted that communities of practice share information about the domain of knowledge and it is this knowledge that brings people together. Murphy and Timmins (2008) found that through personal reflection and sharing with colleagues that overall teaching practice improved and that models of reflective practice that focused on workplace learning rather than the individual could be used to develop localised theory and support for new and experienced teachers.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery, PEP team encourage professional experience facilitators to join the community of practice for supervisors that began in May 2011 as part of a UTAS teaching Development Grant. The community of practice for professional experience facilitators aims to facilitate:

• Sharing of information about clinical education, facilitation and resources; and learn from each other
• Develop a niche in their area of expertise and share information within the CoP
• Share evidence-based practice
• Be mentored by others with more experience
• Comment on the blog contents
• Send information to the (moderator) that they would like blogged
• Ask questions using the blog
• Ask questions using twitter.com
• Join the PEPCommunity on Twitter and interact with peers and colleagues using social media

You can find out more about the community practice and how to join by reading the fact sheets about the CoP.

If you have any queries or comments regarding the project or joining the community of practice you can contact Carey.Mather@utas.edu.au or post them here.