SYK2840A Supervision in Nursing Course description

In this course, you will be able to specialise in the field of supervision. You will learn about supervision, and the supervisor’s role, responsibility and function. This elective course provides basic skills in supervision of nursing students, but can also be used in other contexts, such as the guidance of colleagues, patients and next of kin. The course content combines basic theory of supervision with practical training in groups and individual supervision.

Students who pass the course may apply for exemption from the course VEIPR6000 Supervision and assessment 1 (5 credits) in the programme Further Education in Supervision of Students in Internship (10 credits) at OsloMet.

Normally taught in English. Taught in Norwegian if no English-speaking students are taking the course.

In this course, you will plan and carry out a small-scale research project under supervision. The objective is to get a sense of what it is like to conduct research in the field of nursing. You will carry out the project in groups of students under the supervision of the lecturer with a view to understand and apply research. The group itself will choose the problem area and data collection and analysis methods to be used. The results will be published in a project report.

Admission to the programme.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

KnowledgeThe student

• can describe common data collection and analysis methods
• can assess quantitative and qualitative results with a critical approach to methods
• can describe how it is possible to update your own skills in a chosen subject area and how to contribute to developing professional practice

SkillsThe student

• can formulate a research question, competently carry out a literature search and plan research under supervision
• can collect and analyse data, and present results from a mini-research project orally and in writing in the form of a project report
• can reflect on current procedures and methods, and take the initiative to engage in dialogue about the implementation of new knowledge and new work methods

CompetenceThe student

• can develop expertise in a chosen subject area and contribute to developing professional practice
• can reflect on nursing issues within a chosen subject area

Lectures, seminars, self-study and group work.

The first week comprises lectures about research and research methods, and students will also be divided into groups, choose their topic and plan the project. The second week comprises supervised group work with data collection and analysis. In the third week, students will write their project report, and present and discuss the results.

In this course, nursing of patients in the context of care and rehabilitation is a key area. The course covers the nursing of patients with complex health challenges on short-term or long-term stays in different institutions. Students will gain experience of communicating and interacting with patients and next-of-kin related to long-term health challenges. Mapping of loss of function, challenges related to key patient phenomena and cognitive deficits will be part of the course. Emphasis is also placed on attention to the patients’ background as a basis for nursing. Management, organisational competence, ethics and work on the nurse's pedagogical function are also included.

Passed course:

• SYKP/SYKP1000 Theoretical Foundations of Nursing, 13 credits
• SYKK/SYKP1100 Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, 12 credits
• SYKK/SYKP1200 Microbiology and Infection Control, 5 credits
• SYKK/SYKP1300 Pharmacology and Drug Administration, 5 credits
• SYKK/SYKP1400 Diseases and Health Deficits, 10 credits
• SYKK/SYKPPRA10 The Fundamentals of Nursing, 15 credits
• SYKK/SYKPPRA20 Nursing Patients with Acute, Critical and Chronic Diseases, 20 credits
• SYKK/SYKPPRA30K Decision-making in Nursing and Patient Safety, 10 credits

or equivalent

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The student is capable of

• explaining dementia and age-related diseases and treatments
• assessing the patient’s existential needs, and central phenomena such as, meaning, faith and reconciliation
• explaining what promotes and impedes well-being and a sense of belonging in the event of long-term health deficits
• discussing how the nurse can contribute to health promotion and maintain the physical and cognitive function and resources of the individual patient
• stating the grounds for how health and social care policy can set the guidelines for quality development in the municipal health service

Skills

The student is capable of

• observing, assessing and making clinical decisions in complex nursing and treatment processes, and documenting the patient’s situation and needs for nursing in the patient records in a concise and structured manner
• identifying patients’ health resources and - in cooperation with relevant resource persons - developing targeted measures to improve the patient’s functional level, active participation and quality of life
• observing effects, side effects and interactions of polypharmacy
• using knowledge of dementia when encountering challenging behaviours
• carrying out prioritised patient safety measures and discussing how this is exhibited in the nursing and care services
• leading, delegating and following up work tasks, and guiding colleagues in a team
• applying knowledge about learning, mastering and change processes in counselling and teaching of the patient’s next-of-kin, students and relevant personnel

Competence

The student is capable of

• reflecting on patient-centred nursing in complex and complicated conditions, and planning and carrying out targeted cooperation processes with patients, next-of-kin and other practitioners
• reflecting on different ways of organising and leading the nursing services and how these impacts on the quality of the services
• reflecting on what can prevent and resolve conflicts
• identifying and reflecting on relevant ethical issues and dilemmas at the individual, group and society level
• reflecting on the significance of social relations and the role the patient’s next-of-kin have in nursing homes and/or residential care homes
• reflecting on the meaning of good care pathways for elderly people and chronically ill patients and how these can contribute to ensuring a coordinated, holistic and cohesive service

Pass/fail. One overall grade is awarded for the whole group.

Part 1 Assessment of practical training

Practical training has requirements for attendance (90 %), self-presentation for the start of the practice and self-assessment for the mid- and final assessment.

Part 2 Supervised individual written exam

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take part 2 of the examination:

• Completed e-learning module. The workload for the students is estimated at approx. 30 hours. To be completed in June, before the autumn semester of the 3rd year of study.
• Planning and carrying out supervision for a group of first year students in cooperation with the practical training supervisor and contact lecturer (inspiration practical training).
• Academic in-depth assignment, on the topic of management and quality development. Groups of 3-4 students. An academic question is formulated based on the course’s learning outcomes. Methods for systematic improvement work are applied. Main findings are presented in a written summary of 1,500 words (+/- 10%). Oral presentation for fellow students, colleagues and the lecturer. Feedback from fellow students based on given criteria is part of the assessment of the required coursework.