Teaching module in metabolism

Abstract

Medical Surgical Nursing is forever changing, so it is imperative that instructors, both in the classroom and in the related learning experience (RLE) must keep themselves abreast with current findings through available resources, so that the students would excel in their chosen profession and would be future nurses who can compete globally.

Lecturers often have to fast track the discussion in the classroom since thirty two hours (32) allotted for nutritional, gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders are not enough to thoroughly discuss all aspects in the care of clients with these disorders wherein the focus of the discussion in the classroom is more on the disease process, the collaborative management which includes the diagnostic tests and the therapeutic management and the nursing management including independent and collaborative only the nursing intervention for the priority nursing diagnosis. Discharge planning which is a very important component of nursing care is often left out except for very important topics such as foot care of the diabetic clients, thus a need for RLE instructors to give mini lectures and actual demonstrations in the clinical area is highly recommended to further enhance the learning of the students by following through what had been discussed in the classroom.

Mini-lectures done in the clinical area would enhance learning of the students because it would be easier for the students to relate what have been discussed in the classroom to what they have seen, observed and practiced in the clinical area and to what will be discussed in the RLE.

Students often give feedbacks on inconsistencies in RLE input that resulted to confusion as to what and whose information is correct and to be followed, the one given in the classroom or the one that was taught in the clinical area? A good example cited by the students is the exact site of insulin injection, is it in the midaxillary area or the outer deltoid portion of the arm? Another concern is the area of fastest absorption of insulin injection which is the abdomen. Is it still the fastest area of absorption or not?

Oftentimes, RLE instructors ask classroom lecturers for handouts on the topics to be and was discussed in the classroom, to be used as a reference for their mini-lectures in the clinical area, but classroom lecturers would often refer the RLE instructors to the textbook that the students use as a reference or study guide.

Most often clinical instructors come from different schools and some will be assigned to teach in the classroom and others in the clinical area. In this connection, problems arise in their teaching styles and capabilities which at times will lead to confusion among students. Some of these clinical instructors fail to update themselves with the latest information regarding the different disorders in metabolism.

References in the library are enough especially of the recent edition of the Medical- Surgical nursing textbooks, but the main problem is the time that they need for research. Most instructors have limited time to do it because of other important things or responsibilities that they have to do in school and at home.

Another important factor is financial constraint. Not all students have computers at home to use for research because some of the students are only staying in boarding houses, some students only have old textbooks, handouts or notes from previous batch as their references, and students find new textbooks to be too expensive.

The manual is based on new editions of medical-surgical nursing textbooks by various authors, and latest updates and trends from on-line references.

Since team teaching is adopted by the college in teaching medical-surgical nursing, this material will serve as a guide to all classroom lecturers so that no topic will be excluded or omitted during the discussion and at the same time, a reference and a guide for RLE instructors and RLE substitutes, on what to discuss so that information given out to students are uniform and consistent.

Nursing is dynamic and is an ongoing process, so teaching must be a collaborative effort so that it will be beneficial to the students. This manual is a response to the need of the College of Nursing to promote an integrated approach to acquire consistency and uniformity in discussion, both in the classroom and the RLE for continued excellence in the teaching ministry.

General Objective

The module is designed to enable the clinical instructors both in the classroom and RLE to impart and share the acquired knowledge on the basic concept of metabolism and the different disorders, provide the students additional resource material for focused review of the disorders, enhance the skills of students on various procedures related to the concept of metabolism and regulation and inculcate Christian values in the management and care of clients with disturbances in gastrointestinal, metabolism and regulation disorders.

Specific Objectives

The lecturers and the students will be able to:

1. discuss etiologic or predisposing factors for each disorder; 2. discuss the pathology of specific disorders; 3. explain the collaborative management including the diagnostic test and therapeutic intervention of the different disorders discussed; 4. identify priority nursing diagnosis according to actual assessment findings observed in the client; 5. perform thorough physical assessment to clients with disorders in gastrointestinal, metabolism and regulation; 6. conduct and present case studies in the clinical area related to the concept of metabolism and regulation; 7. demonstrate skills in providing quality care to clients with nutritional, gastrointestinal, and metabolic and regulation disorders utilizing the nursing process; 8. recognize the importance of holistic and comprehensive nursing care of client’s with gastrointestinal, metabolism and regulation disorders; 9. demonstrate positive attitude in the care of client(s) with gastrointestinal, metabolism and regulation disorder; and, 10. show openness to questions and suggestions either from the clients and significant others