The Importance of Staff Development in Nursing

The purpose of this paper is to identify the educational need for and selection of an educational program. Specifically, this paper will focus on defining the goals and outcomes of the educational program and describe the learning objectives as well as the design model and learner characteristics. The paper will also review the instructional methods to adopt for delivery and provide examples of resources to be used in the classroom. Lastly, the paper will review methods for evaluating the learning of the audience.

Educational Need and Selection.

Based on the evaluations conducted during weeks two and three, there is a clear need for an educational program that focuses on communication training and relationship building within the critical care nursing force. Communication and collaboration are among the most essential work skills necessary for success in the healthcare arena. Without adequate communication, errors are likely to result and inefficient delivery of health care services are likely. More and more healthcare organizations are requiring members of their workforce to collaborate together to deliver patient care and function as a unit (Caspi & Reid, 2002). Thus it is vital that educational programs focus on enhancing incumbents skills in these areas to ensure problem-solving, decision making and collaboration are effective and beneficial in the healthcare environment.

As Gerber & McGuire (1999) noted it is vital that nurses learn the communications and collaborations skills necessary to enhance communication in the workplace, which will ultimately improve the efficacy of work functions and delivery of service in the healthcare setting. The educational program will also focus on enhancing nurses technology skills so they are more capable of working in the modern nursing or critical care unit where technological innovations are increasingly being used out of necessity (Zalumas, 1995).