From work integrated learning to learning integrated work – A pedagogical model to develop praxis in nursing education

Abstract

The move from student to nurse has been described as difficult for newly registered nurses. Newly registered nurses’ feelings of lacking competence can reduce the opportunity to develop professional competence. Entering the nursing profession requires a high degree of adaptation. The difference between the professional competence conveyed during education and the competence demanded in working life is substantial and needs to be taken seriously. The aim of this paper is to propose a model for developing professional competence. The theoretical discussion starts with a model showing processes newly registered nurses must manage to achieve a sense of competence. These processes are highlighted by discussing how they relate to praxis in the Aristotelian tradition, situated learning and Work Integrated Learning (WIL). Learning Integrated Work (LIW) is a pedagogical approach aiming to integrate scientific knowledge with practical knowledge, and to provide an analytical perspective where students have the opportunity to develop metacognitive skills and praxis by learning in and by clinical practice experiences. One way to achieve this is to learn from the knowledge and skills used when performing practical work. The aims of WIL and LIW are to identify both practical knowledge generated by nurses in the course of their professional activities and theoretical knowledge generated in the academy, and to elaborate an understanding constituting the essence of both theoretical and practical knowledge. By integrating theoretical and practical vocational knowledge, one promotes professionalization, including the ability to perform the expected tasks and to have a critical and development-oriented attitude in daily work.