The Practical Nursing program is not only a program in which the students need to work individually in order to succeed, but it also incorporates a lot of group activities and projects that need team work in order to be accomplished.
In the hospital or residential settings, patients have a primary nurse that are taking care of them, but are also look after by other interdisciplinary members of the hospital team. Although I have had experiences in which I did not like working in groups, Stenberg College has prepared me to work in a team in the outside world. From term one where we worked in partners teaching the class about a body system to term four in which groups of 5 work together to show communication strategies on communicating with patients and the interdisciplinary team, I can honestly say I am prepared.
I have always been the person to take lead so I did not have any trouble finishing projects on time, but I have had some group members who have not given any input and taken the mark. When you come across group members like this, my advice to you is to solve the conflict in a civil manner. We learn so much about conflict resolution, and ways to give back positive criticisms. This not only has made the group dynamic turn from negative to positive, but also has allowed me to self evaluate my actions and let others lead as well. In hospitals, communication is the one of the biggest aspects in order to provide care for your patients.
Stenberg College has put us in situations where we can learn and expand our communication skills while working as a team. Every term there are at least 2 projects that require team work. We learn how to effectively communicate with one another, criticize one another, and resolve conflicts with one another. These skills are required not only in the hospital setting, but in your every day lives; such as while talking to friends, families or acquaintances. As a person, my communication skills have expanded and I can honestly say that I have become a better listener and a better group member because of these projects.
Check out this video of our Practical Nursing Program.
