I believe that the key to an effective post conference is adaptability. As a clinical instructor you have to be able to tailor your post conference discussion to what occurred during the clinical day and what questions or concerns arose from it. In order to do that effectively I would pose questions that enable students to apply their knowledge, think critically, and reflect back on the events that occurred that day (Koharchik & Redding, 2016).
Whenever possible it is important to try to assign patients that are consistent with what the student is learning in the classroom setting. A student that is able to create a link between the classroom and clinical setting by preforming a skill or witnessing a disease process that they had learned prior will be far more confident when confronted with that same clinical picture in the future. During the post conference they are then better equipped to critically think about that patient having had the prior knowledge from the classroom. If a new diagnosis or skill comes up during the clinical day that the students were not previously exposed to it is important that during the post conference those are addressed. This also creates an opportunity for the clinical instructor to provide further education by going over policies or case studies that pertain.
Debriefing is another way to foster critical thinking in students during the post conference. Debriefing is most beneficial after a student is confronted with a challenging clinical day; observing a death, a birth, or preforming some kind of error (Koharchik & Redding, 2016). Debriefing allows the student to reflect on their personal beliefs, prior knowledge, and assumptions as they pertain to the clinical situation. It is also import because it helps the student process what had occurred and grow from that experience and be able to apply that knowledge later in their career.
In summary, the post conference poses many opportunities for the clinical instructor to challenge the students to critically think. This critical thinking helps to create a reflective nurse that preforms safe patient care throughout their professional career.
Koharchik, L., & Redding, S. R. (2016, July). Strategies for successful clinical teaching. AJN American Journal of Nursing, 116(7), 62-65.