Role Play: Staff-Developed Posters-An Avenue to Enhance Nurses’ Self- Worth

Lynn Mohr Column Editor: Barbara C. Woodring

Role play is nn issues-related forum to engender dialogtie about the roles assumed by nurses who care for children and their families. This issue‘s column fociiscs on the educator role.

Much has been written about the use of posters by inser- vice educators as a time- and cost-effective means of presenting essential information about policies and pro- cedures, clinical information, and/or research findings (Bushy, 1991; Duchin & Sherwood, 1990; Healey & Hoffman, 1991). Several authors have discussed the mechanics of poster presentations (Bach, McDaniel, & Poole, 1994; Biancuzzo, 1994; Lippman & Ponton, 1989; Lourie, 1989). Little is written about the process used in development of staff -created posters as a means of stim- ulating nursing staff involvement, building self-worth, and enhancing professional development.

Theoretical Framework

Adult learning theory and h e r ’ s (1984) levels of prac- tice provided the theoretical framework for the project described here. Knowles (1987) proposed the adult learner must be actively involved in the learning experience in order for optimum transfer of knowledge. The learning environ- ment should be comfortable and exciting to enhance the adulCs need to be self-directed (Knowles, 1980). Adult leam- ers need to feel respected, accepted, and supported; they should feel free to express themselves without fear of pun- ishment, ridicule, or censure (Knowles, 1987).

The promotion of professional growth and develop- ment among nurses depends upon recognizing and meet- ing educational needs at various experience levels. Benner (1984) identified five levels or stages of clinical nursing practice: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. Educational programs should be planned by the nurse educator to meet the needs and promote the pro- fessional growth of nurses at the various levels of expertise.

A novice nurse has no background or understanding of clinical situations. Advanced beginners need extensive guided experiences with patients and are able to readily identify components of recurring patient situations. Competent-level nurses may have been in the same or

similar clinical practice situations for two or three years, but may change from one clinical area to another to keep themselves stimulated. Nurse educators can help compe- tent nurses enlarge their opportunities for self -fulfill- ment by inviting them to assist in research, teaching classes, and /or becoming a preceptor. The proficient nurse perceives a clinical situation as a whole rather than in its components and bases decisions on experience and recent events. The expert nurse has extensive experience and possesses an intuitive grasp of clinical situations (Benner, 1984). Nurses at each level can help staff at other levels advance in their own professional growth.

Project Development

The lack of staff nurse involvement in preparing edu- cational activities was identified by members of the nurs- ing education team. To get staff nurses involved, the nursing educators asked staff nurses to develop posters depicting a specific aspect of care common to their unit. Completed posters were displayed throughout the hos- pital at the annual Nurses’ Week celebration. One poster was selected and assistance was provided to develop it for submission to an appropriate nursing conference.

Judging of posters was conducted by an interdisci- phary team. Criteria for selection included subject matter, professional appearance, suitability for conference presen- tation, and creativity. The winning poster was announced during the hospital-wide Nurses’ Week reception.

Project Results

Based on past involvement of staff in educational activities, it was expected that there would be minimal involvement and much staff “groaning.” What the nurse educators did not expect was an overwhelmingly posi- tive response and an enormous amount of enthusiasm. All but one of six units submitted a poster. The staff did not ask a single question nor did they request supplies, although supplies were provided through the unit manager.

Poster topics were diverse, ranging from “Characteristics of the Adolescent” to ”Care of the

JSl“ Vol. 2, NO. 1, Januq-March, 1997 47

Role Play: Staff-Developed Posters-An Avenue to Enhance Nurses’ Self-worth

Ventilator- Dependent Child.” Poster creativity encom- passed the use of photographs, unit forms, computer graphics, and artwork. Nurses asked others if they had seen their posters and stated that the activity made the nursing staff really think about the nursing care they gave.

The announcement of the winning poster was made during the hospital-wide Nurses Week reception. Each non-winning unit poster was given a certificate of partici- pation. The winning poster was displayed throughout the hospital for two weeks. After further development, it was accepted for presentation at two major pediatric nursing conferences. Another poster was modified and submitted as a poem for inclusion in a Nursing Anthology.

Conclusions

This project was overwhelmingly successful. I t enabled nursing staff to get involved in an educational activity without the risk of punishment, ridicule, or cen- sure. It also allowed the staff time to learn about them- selves in a relaxed environment. Further, by developing a poster, professional growth was promoted for the nurs- ing staff members involved in the projects. Although their nursing experience ranged from less than one year to 18 years, none of the involved nurses had ever devel- oped a poster or submitted an abstract for conference consideration. Many had believed they had nothing to contribute to a poster abstract.

Another positive outcome was the recognition given to staff nurses by displaying all the posters hospital wide. Hoff (1989) stated that adults who feel a sense of pride and accomplishment are motivated to continue their efforts. This motivation was demonstrated in the staff members’ requests for inservice sessions on poster development. Staff members have continued to develop posters and have expanded their interests to include parent educational bul- letin boards and conducting unit-based inservices.

Nurse educators often have the mind-set that educa- tional activities need long and detailed plans. Yet this simple project provided the initial motivation for nursing staff involvement in an educational project. The use of staff-created posters is a simple way for staff develop-

ment educators to provide opportunities for self-fulfill- ment and professional development.

Lynn Mohr, MS, RN, is Education Coordinator,

LaRabida Children‘s Hospital and Research Center, Chicago, IL.

References

Bach, C., McDaniel, R., & Poole, M. (1994). Posters: Innovative and cost-effective tools for staff development. Journal of Nursing Sfnff Druelopmnit, 10(2), 71 -74.

Benner, l? (1984). From nozrice to expert: Excellence nnd pouw in clinical practice. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley.

Biancuzzo, M. (1994). Developing a poster about a clinical innovation- Part 11: Creating the poster. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 8,203-207.

Bushy, A. (1991). A rating scale to evaluate research posters. Nurse Educator, 16, 11-15.

Duchin, S., & Sherwood, G . (1990). Posters as an educational strategy. ]oirrrml of Continuing Education in Nursing, 21,205-208.

Healey, K., & Hoffman, M. (1991). Self-instructional posters: One way to save time and money. Journal of Continuirrg Education in Nursing,

Hoff, I? (1989). Adult leaming and the nurse. In B. Fuszard (Ed.), Innmtizv tmching strategies in nursing (pp. 7-11). Rockville, MD: Aspen.

Lippman, D., & Ponton, K. (1989). Designing a research poster with impact. Westmi lournal ofNursing Research, 12,477- 485.

Lourie, R. (1989). Preparing a poster presentation. Nurse Educator, 14, 10,18,23.

Knowles, M. (1980). The modmi practice of adult education from pedagogy to androgyny. Chicago: Follett.

Knowles, M. (1987). Adult learning. In R. Craig (Ed.), Trainirrg and drurl- opinent handbook: A guide to human resoi~rce dezdopment (3rd ed., pp.168-179). New York McGraw-Hill.

22,123-125.

Role Play If you have an issue you wish to discuss or a brief manu- script that addresses the educator role, please contact:

Barbara C. Woodring, EdD, RN School of Nursing The Medical College of Georgia 997 St. Sebastian‘s Way Augusta, GA 30912 bwoodrin@mail.mcg.edu

48 JSPN Vol. 2, NO. 1, J i~~ua~~-March , 1997