Kifah Husain Awadallah
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, UAE
Title: Utilizing a Learning Needs Assessment for a Defined Emergency Curriculum
Biography
Biography: Kifah Husain Awadallah
Abstract
Introduction: This presentation highlights the need for a learning needs assessment for Registered Nurses prior to the planning of a specific and comprehensive curriculum. In this method nurses are empowered to drive their own education and professional development. The presentation will elaborate on the technique used for stratifying specific skills and the development of a calendar for professional development.
Background: Building a start-up organization in the Middle East from a USA-based hospital franchise integrated caregivers from around the world with backgrounds of different scopes of practice and models of care. Time constraints for reviewing skills presented complexity; however, the development of both general, advanced and individulised content was imperative. Engagement of that staff was essential for sustainability of learning and retention of their valued clinical practice. The learning needs assessment was a tool that was created for the caregivers to self-report learning needs. As adult learns, this substantiates the need to know what is not known.
Results: This proposed method of creation and delivery of nursing curriculum was important in adapting learning for the audience. This was a strategy to increase engagement and maximize the efficiency using restricted time available to present the most relevant content for the learner. The learning needs assessment was the foundation for structuring the curriculum based on current caregivers, rather than assuming the needs based on what is typically taught.
Conclusion: A learning needs assessment has a profound impact in the development and structure of a specific unit’s curriculum.