¶ … Clinical Education There are many aspects to the nursing profession, but before a person becomes a nurse he or she has to focus on the clinical education it takes to become one. In other words, one cannot just study from books and pass tests to graduate to working with patients. He or she has to be able to demonstrate through clinical evaluation methods that he or she is capable of doing what is necessary to handle patients properly. Addressed here will be reasons behind the methods used. The humanistic and transformative learning theories will be discussed. Then the paper will move into the specific methods used for clinical evaluation, what those methods are, and why they are important. Overall, it is highly significant to have different kinds of methods, because everyone learns a little differently. When evaluations measure the same kinds of skills in different ways, they are more likely to be effective and determine who is actually learning the material and qualified to work as a nurse.

Throughout the years, clinical evaluation methods have changed quite a bit. This is important, as it indicates the desire of educators to change evaluation methods to match the times in which those methods are needed. With new and improved methods for evaluating nursing students, more students who are ready for work as a nurse can be located and those who are not suited to the program can find out early. Nursing is not for everyone, and even some people who want the job are not right for it. The sooner that is discovered, the easier it is on everyone involved. Proper methods of clinical evaluation can help with those types of discoveries, which allows for a smoother period of education and a better transition into the workforce for those who do become nurses.

Transformative Learning Theory

Transformative learning theory states that there is a process to transforming a person's perspective (Dirkx, Mezirow, & Cranton, 2006). Teachers can provide students with events and situations that not only foster learning, but that also foster transformation. This helps the students change and grow as they learn, which can allow them to adapt more easily to the learning that is taking place (Dirkx, Mezirow, & Cranton, 2006). Whether they are learning in a classroom or in a field, the idea that they will be transformed in some way as they learn is highly important to their growth and development (Cranton, 2006). Without change and transformation, it can be difficult for people to actually learn a lot. The reason behind this is that people who are learning are growing and changing as they learn. What they take in when they learn changes their perspective of various things, including themselves.

Because of that, they are different from who they were when they began their learning journey (Dirkx, Mezirow, & Cranton, 2006). This is important to remember, because people who are focused on being in the nursing profession also have to be able to change and adapt to different patients and different conditions. The more adaptable and changeable they are in themselves, the better they will be about making changes to help others. This transformative characteristic that they develop while they are learning can be vital for them in a helping profession (Cranton, 2006). While not every nurse will have as much of this experience in a clinical setting, all of them can expect some form of it as they move through learning the skills they need. Those who are not able to transform their perspective in any way may struggle with their learning and abilities.

Humanistic Theory

Humanistic theory is also important when it comes to learning and nursing. This theory states that people have an inherent drive toward creativity and self-actualization (Rogers, Lyon & Tausch, 2013; Sotillos, 2013). In the past it was thought that the only people who needed to be creative were those who were working in artistic fields. However, this theory sees everything as being artistic in some way, and sees the self-actualization of human beings as being a highly important part of what they do and who they are (Rogers, Lyon & Tausch, 2013). That is very important, as the theory emphasizes free will, self-awareness, and creative merit (Sotillos, 2013). In the nursing profession, learning to be creative is significant. While there are specific ways that many things have to be done, there are also times when nurses need to get creative in order to get a patient to take needed medication or submit to a necessary procedure. This happens most often with patients who are children, but can also be the case with adults who are not comfortable with the medical setting.

The humanistic theory is a large part of their lives at that point, even if they do not realize it. Since creativity and self-actualization are emphasized, people who have those traits or can develop them will generally have more success than those who do not have them or are not aware of how to grow and develop to that point (Rogers, Lyon & Tausch, 2013). In that sense, this theory ties in with the previously discussed one, and they can be used in tandem to help people learn about their work and their world. The more nurses are able to change, adapt, and understand themselves and their patients, the better off they will be -- and the more help they will give to their patients and the doctors with whom they work.
Evaluation Methods of Undergraduate Nursing Students

There are several ways in which undergraduate nursing students are evaluated. These will be discussed here, along with the basic ways in which these evaluation methods work and are practiced. Students in any discipline must know how they are being judged for competency, so they know what they should be studying and what really matters to the instructors. The information that matters to those instructors is what is going to matter in the real world, with patients (D'Antonio, 2010). The more these nursing students learn about what patients need, the better off they will be when it comes to helping them in the future (Illeris, 2009). Another important facet of evaluation methods is whether they focus on helping the student move forward with learning, instead of becoming merely a tool for criticism and concern. If the methods do not foster growth and awareness, they cannot be easily used for development of good nursing skills in the future.

Assessment Tools and Resources

Among the common assessment tools and resources are:

360-degree evaluations

Program level evaluations

Objective structured clinical examinations

Record reviews

Written examinations

Oral examinations

Case, operative, or procedure logs

Chart stimulated recall examination

Evaluations of performance (either live or recorded)

Any or all of these assessment tools can be used, and they can all be valuable. It can depend on the instructor, the basic rules of the educational institution, or even the individual class or student. However, one must be very careful to evaluate all students equally and fairly (Illeris, 2009). Students that are not evaluated in an equal manner may find that they have a grievance against the instructor or school, because fair treatment is vital. If one or more methods are used to evaluate a student, the instructor must use those same methods to evaluate the other students, as well. This, in turn, keeps the program running smoothly and helps to indicate if there are any problems that should be addressed to help students learn better and more easily. Using more than one evaluation method can also help to indicate weaknesses in the teaching that need to be addressed.

Evaluating Performance Through Feedback

Another way to evaluate performance is through feedback from instructors, patients, and peers (Billings & Halstead, 2012). In order to provide this kind of information, checklists can be used or a person can focus on more open-ended questions instead of something that is decidedly more structured in nature. The kind of evaluation used can vary based on the instructional institution and the actual teacher of the material (Longe, 2013). Any reasonable method of evaluating performance can be used, and feedback is certainly among the most popular of those methods. With feedback, the student gets the opportunity to understand more than just a grade on something (Longe, 2013). He or she has the chance to hear what others actually think about his or her performance, which can provide a high level of information that is not available when grades are the only things a student sees. Getting true feedback can make a significant difference in the direction a student takes (Illeris, 2009).

The Dynamic Process of Evaluation

The process of evaluation is dynamic (Illeris, 2009). It changes and adjusts, just like the student changes and adjusts. That is something over which the student does not have much control, but that is a good thing. When a person is evaluated in different and changing ways, he or she is better able to learn about adaptation. It also encourages…