APA format 1 page long 3 references 1 from Walden University Library 

Please have done by Thursday 3/28/19 at 7pm EST

When developing a curriculum, it is important to understand not only what needs to be taught, but the type of learners you will be attempting to teach. The choosing of content and concepts for a course or curriculum, the involvement of the learner, and methods for assessment and evaluation can all be determined when using theories to develop a curriculum (Billings and Halstead, 2016, pp 211). More importantly, learning theories provide an explanation of the interaction between student and faculty, the environment set up for learning, and the subject being taught (Billings and Halstead, 2016, pp 211).

            For the course project, our group has chosen Moses Cone Hospital as our setting. It is a Level II trauma center in Greensboro, North Carolina (Cone Health, 2019). The proposed program our group would like to begin at this facility is one directed to educating the registered nurses on how to properly treat the pain of pediatric patients in their facility. This education could be completed with simulations, competencies, online modules, and group discussions. A group member works at this facility and has observed this as an educational opportunity for the staff members.

            The learning theory I chose for this discussion with our group project in mind was the situated learning and situated cognition theory. This theory has a goal of “bringing the real world into the academic setting” (Billings and Halstead, 2016, pp 216). The implications for nursing education for this theory allows for learning experiences including “case studies, role play, simulation, and learning in a clinical setting to immerse students in real-life situations” (Billings and Halstead, 2016, pp 216).

One study found that after a three-month period using situated learning for newly graduated nurse practitioners increased their confidence and competency levels, along with decreasing stress (Chen, Chen, Lee, Chang, & Yeh, 2017). Our program could help increase the knowledge and confidence of those pediatric nurses caring for children with pain. Another study showed that “on-site clinical practicums have been thought to provide a varied experience in learning to nurses. However, there is an inconsistency to clinical opportunities available during these practicums” (Onda, 2012). Clinical simulations of scenarios or patient cases can help the nurses feel comfortable with situations when they arise with patients if they did not see them during their practicum.

In conclusion, developing a curriculum that will satisfy the needs of every nurse that needs or desires the education will not be an easy task. With so many different types of theories to base the education off of, picking the most appropriate could be seen as a challenge. As for our group project, I feel that the situated learning theory would work in a favorable way for the curriculum we are developing for those nurses at Moses Cone Hospital.

References

 Billings, D. M., & Halstead, J. A. (2016). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Chen, S., Chen, S., Lee, S., Chang, Y., & Yeh, K. (2017). Impact of interactive situated and simulated teaching program on novice nursing practitioners’ clinical competence, confidence, and stress. Nurse Education Today, 55, pp 11-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.04.025.

Cone Health. (2019). The Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital. Retrieved from https://www.conehealth.com/locations/moses-cone-hospital/.

Onda, E. (2012). Situated Cognition: Its Relationship to Simulation in Nursing Education. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 8(7) pp 273-280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2010.11.004.