Villa Maria Retreat Center, Minnesota
May 20 - 21, 2007

The discussion at the SAMRM spring retreat focused on implementation of MRM in nursing education. The highlights of the discussion are summarized below.

Deb Matthias-Anderson and Brenda Becker presented nursing care plans they are using with the post-baccalaureate students at Metropolitan State University. The length of time that is required by students to complete the care plans and by faculty to evaluate them was a stimulus for questioning alternatives. The conclusion of the discussion was that the more lengthy care plan is the way that students need to initially demonstrate their ability to integrate MRM into their care. Other strategies such as the mini care plan can be used to determine the ability of students to "think on their feet." It was felt that, "Student need to do it until they get it." The use of concept maps for key MRM concepts was also suggested as long as the concepts are reintegrated into the structure or context and not viewed as unrelated parts.

A synthesis course was discussed as a way to assist senior students to take the theory into practice. This course could include:

• Writing a philosophy statement;
• Writing three clinical situations in which each had an important learning;
• Finding the similarities in the cases;
• Identifying the big picture.

Strategies for geriatric nursing include:

• Mini life review – focus on the person who is their patient.
• Learn the life cycle and the dignity of the later years.
• Community College Service Learning project with the elderly which includes and experience of ending a relationship.

Humboldt State experience was that students felt confident in their ability to model the client's world even when they did not yet feel confident in applying the technical skills. Focusing on modeling the client's world helps them focus on the client rather than on themselves.

Pediatric clinical experience - Data collection for client assessment: #1 problem is what the child says it is; #2 problem is what the family says it is; Rest of the problem list comes from the health care team.

How do we bridge the gap between learning and practice?

Reinforce the idea that data collection starts with the client, the primary data source, not the third data source. Students need to see the client first to gather data. Clinical instructors could give the essential information to the students prior to the clinical experience rather than encouraging them to spend the pre-clinical time buried in the client's medical record. "The medical record is a resource, not a novel." Worksheet information: include adaptive potential and developmental stage and the resources related to the developmental stage.

Attention can be given to the importance of theory-based practice at the beginning of the theory course. Discuss - how does practice enrich theory and how does theory enrich practice? The program then needs to provide the follow-through with the application of the theory. Following the theory course, the faulty teaching the clinical courses need to reinforce the application of theory.

The use of Grand Rounds was emphasized as an appropriate teaching-learning strategy to assist students in applying MRM concept in clinical practice.

↑ Top of page