Professional Experience Placement

Swan, Smith, Frisby, Shaffer and Hanson-Zalot (2012) describe the stages of a tablet computing integration within the curriculum at a School of Nursing in the United States. This paper describes the creation of the infrastructure, technology planning, human considerations; and ongoing communication and support. The authors discuss the motivators for the initiative that include the rapid evolution and adoption of tablets within the K1-12 school education sector.   This paper describes the comprehensive Facullty orientation;  curriculum review; group and one-to-one training; development of manuals and checklists that were undertaken as part of the initiatve. The authors also identified and established system and network requirements including access to prescribed ‘texts’and media. Through survey, the investigators of this project also recognised that current students required substantial support to undertake the project and were offered training on the use of this digital medium. Students were assisted with the purchase of the necessary applications that enabled them to access and use the learning and teaching resources. The authors continue to explore the use of tablet computing and note that iCloud technology has reduced the challenges of synching devices and  data storage.

Implications for the professional experience or clinical supervision space include the need for educators to become familar with the information communication technology that is used by students. There is also a need for clinical or professional experience educators to identify and develop appropriate resources for supervisors to use in the workplace.  The development of pertinant and relevant resources for supervisors will enable them to become familiar with emerging technology while undertaking professional development! Furthermore, as policies within health organisations reflect the value and enable the use of mhealth technologies, tablet computing will be used by supervisors for more than remaining contemporary in practice. Tablet computing will continue to evolve through the development of ‘apps’, and exploration of its use within the healthcare sector will continue to grow. Clinical supervisors are well placed to guide and facilitate appropriate use by students while enabling translation of this technology into the practice environment.

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