Partnering with Poltekkes Kemenkes Kupang (Ministry of Health Polytechnic Kupang) for Preceptorship workshops.
In November 2024, FOHG facilitated a visit by a long time volunteer with us, Alison James RN, RM, and Sue Houlson RN, RM, at the invitation of the Poltekkes Kemenkes Kupang in West Timor to conduct workshops on Preceptorship for their nursing staff.
Both Ali and Sue are employed by Technical and Further Education (TAFE) in South Australia, have recently set up a new nursing laboratory at Pt Pirie Hospital and are very experienced in the support and training of health professionals to preceptor and mentor students.
The overall goal of the program was to assist in
- equipping staff with the skills and knowledge needed to improve the learning outcomes of students and new employees, and in
- training staff to transition to be effective preceptors of students.
Dr Margareta, Ibu Teli and staff of the Poltekkes facilitated a visit to Dr Ben Mboi a new hospital, built in 2023 but understaffed and under resourced at this time. The Objective of this visit was to
- see the context in which students will be attending placement, the facilities available, and meet staff who will preceptor them and
- discuss the burden of disease that students will be managing and the stages of training in which they do placements.
Some of the content covered and used for transfer of preceptorship skills training included manual handling, no-touch wound care techniques, infection control, and occupational health and safety related to working in health care.
The Poltekkes Kemenkes in Kupang that students attend has recently had a new nursing laboratory added to their facilities. It is here where Ali and Sue were able to conduct and provide preceptorship principles while they observed ‘students’ completing hands on skills, and role-playing the principles of communicating positive and constructive feedback.
A total of thirty seven students attended the workshops which were evaluated as extremely positive. Self-assessment questionnaires were provided to all participants both pre and post workshop covering a range of items from content, course length and lecturer competence. These data were translated by Pak Nus back at the hotel at the end of the day, then compiled and analysed. The evaluation was complimentary, with some comments noted here!
The final evaluation showed that learning to manage conflict which can often occur in preceptorship, was really appreciated and a standout learning outcome:
- Thank you for sharing about conflict management. As a young lecturer, sometimes I act like a turtle, but I think that I have to learn as an owl.
- Conflict management; process of preceptorship is (shown to be) more conducive and not causing stress.
Some different models for learning to preceptor were appreciated.
- Learning contracts, reflections and role play. Training was very good.
The concept of moderation to ensure consistent marking was presented and commented on:
- This kind of learning should be done regularly so we all have the same perceptions and objectives.
The evaluation revealed the workshops improved the participants understanding of the role of the preceptor, the use of reflection, adult learning principles and how to manage conflict. Overall, the effectiveness of the workshop was reported as meeting the participants needs and more workshops were requested to assist the quality of the placements for students.
In the months following this workshop, the Poltekkes Kemenkes Kupang has received Accreditation for their diploma course. I am sure the participation of FOHG contributed to this achievement. It is not surprising that staff at the in Kupang have requested a return visit at the end of 2025. The next thing is accreditation for a Bachelor program.
Well done Ali and Sue.
This article was taken from the detailed evaluation report provided by Ali James and Sue Houlsen. Data was collated and analysed by Ali’s husband, Chris Clarke who accompanied the team.
Dr Helen Bradley
MNH Coordinator,
FOHG.
