Who would not want to get a chance to see new places, find new friends, and at the same time improve professional skills and gain more knowledge in the field of health care? The Medico one-week Intensive programme (20.-24. April 2020) promised it all and kept most of the promises despite the current travel bans. The course was arranged by the Medico network. The aim of the intensive week was to develop medication education in undergraduate nursing programs and improve the quality of medication education in participating countries. The course received financial support from Nordplus.
The questions of professionalism
As in every field of study, nursing has its own major topics. Main topics of the week were patient´s role in treatment, sustainability of nursing, as well as competences in technology and medication administration.
The course combined basic knowledge from lessons and practice, like “5 rights” rule of medication administration, with more precise information. For instance, we deepened our knowledge of preventing medication errors by evaluating patient’s medical adherence and health literacy. Most of the knowledge was introduced in lectures and other materials, but the influence of the students on each other’s learning was significant. The “sustainability day” was dedicated to the topic of greener nursing, some had an opinion that most medical waste created in hospitals should be recycled. Others considered that some waste, such as rubber gloves, is not recyclable or reducible without influencing hygiene. These discussions allowed the students to understand current guidelines and recommendations in workplaces and in different specialties of nursing. They also trained us, the students, to listen and find compromises with colleagues and clients in delivering nursing care.
The knowledge and technologies
As the course was held virtually, the techniques of learning and studies were quite unfamiliar to some students. Experiencing webinars and new platforms was a good practice for all of us; students and teachers alike. We as future nurses can use such tools in healthcare, as for the homecare or for check-ups for some clients. Learning about technologies and using them was one positive experience of learning by studying and practicing.
Of course, sometimes it was quite a struggle to make things work with the IT features, but that also applies to the situations in the field. We can’t absolutely rely on the technologies, but we can use them to help us gain knowledge, experience and help our clients and other healthcare professionals while performing nursing duties.
To see Åland from your room’s chair
Even though this year it was impossible to travel to Åland for a week for the intensive programme, we have kept in contact with everyone involved. Activities provided during the course, e.g. small group chats and multicultural discussions, helped us to break the ice, showed us how other people live, study and work and what’s important for them. It gave us a chance to think wider about people around us, especially our colleagues and clients. This experience showed us others’ views on nursing, helped us to understand nursing routines as well as demands of the patients which may vary in different cultures. The decisions we make individually are influenced by our personal knowledge and opinions. That is why it is important to broaden our perspectives and knowledge about procedures, techniques as well as about people and cultures of the world we live in.
Authors
Elizaveta Liutu, nursing student of LAB University of Applied Sciences, participant of 2020 Medico Intensive week programme about Medication safety.
Titta Sainio is a Senior lecture of Healthcare at LAB University of Applied Sciences.
Links
Link 1. Högskolan i Gävle. 2020. Medico. [Cited 14.05.2020]. Available from: https://www.hig.se/Ext/Sv/Organisation/Akademier/Akademin-for-halsa-och-arbetsliv/Samverkan/Internationalisering/Nordplus/MEDICO.html
Link 2. Nordplus. Nordic and Baltic educational cooperation starts with Nordplus. [Cited 11.06.2020]. Available from: https://www.nordplusonline.org/
Image
Gordon Johnson, Pixabay. 2020. Lääkäri-coronavirus-karanteeni-5080337. [Viitattu 11.6.2020]. Saatavissa: https://pixabay.com/fi/vectors/l%C3%A4%C3%A4k%C3%A4ri-coronavirus-karanteeni-5080337/
