I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! I am slowly getting back into the swing of things. I am starting to read your blog posts from last week and thus far am very impressed! Thank you for communicating with each other via Slack to let each other know when you posted. I think that will definitely help with being able to comment in time. And, just to clarify– no one will be punished (point-wise) if you are unable to comment exactly in time because another student was later on posting. This is my first time only having 3 students and I totally understand that everyone is human and may not get to their first post a couple days before the due date. All I’m asking is that you try your best to avoid it for everyone. If that situation happens just keep me in the loop and we will work through it!
Now, on to Module 3. This week we are going to be discussing the clinical learning environment. The clinical learning environment is dynamic as it is constantly changing. Every time a student and clinical instructor enter the clinical environment, there is a new patient or new situation presented to you both. And, there is limited faculty control over what those situations will be. Unlike nursing where you may assign a student to the cardiology unit or to follow a patient that has diabetes, there is a little less control over as to what we can assign dental hygiene students. There are also advances in technologies and evidence-based treatment recommendations that can change year to year. As more nontraditional students enter the professional education, students and their learning needs are constantly changing as well.
For Blog Post #2, discuss the differences of teaching in a classroom setting versus the clinical setting. What are the differences? Are there similarities? How can we keep pace with the changes in technologies or treatments? Discuss the changes of the student population you will be teaching. How can you meet the needs of traditional students versus nontraditional students? Keep in mind the diversity of the student population such as age, gender, ethnic background, etc.
Looking forward to reading your posts!
-Amy
