“Teaching new nursing students can be a struggle because they want to just memorize. The F.A. Davis products help me expose students to application and critical thinking in the first semester.” Jennifer Richter, DNP, MSN, RN TBSN Program Director and Instructor University of West Florida
Jennifer Richter has been teaching at the University of West Florida (UWF) since 2019 and has served as the Program Director for its traditional BSN program since 2023. The program serves about 150 students annually, many of whom are training for nursing positions in the military. Jennifer is currently teaching the Fundamentals course using a conceptual approach. The challenge: Helping new students adjust to nursing education As the Fundamentals instructor, Jennifer teaches students who are taking their first nursing course. She observes that this can be overwhelming for many students who are accustomed to learning through memorization and now must learn through the application of concepts. Having the right textbook and online tools is important. “First semester nursing students often struggle with determining what’s important and what’s not important. When you have a textbook that provides too much detail, they assume it’s all important and it confuses the students. It also makes it difficult for the instructor because you have to spend time helping them differentiate the important material from the ‘fluff’.” Jennifer also points out that new students struggle with how to study nursing, and they need tools that help them structure their study time. The solution: Davis Advantage for Basic Nursing Jennifer has been using F.A. Davis’s Basic Nursing: Thinking, Doing, and Caring text since she started at UWF. She finds it works well for easing students into the nursing curriculum. It introduces them to critical thinking and is organized in a way that helps students understand concepts. “The book is organized really well. Students struggle with the concepts and this book presents the material in a way that makes it easier for them to understand.” She also appreciates that the Basic Nursing text doesn’t have overly detailed technical content that’s not necessary for the students. “I like that there is not a lot of extra material that I have to weed through for my students. It makes it easier for me to tell them where they should focus.” Students have access to a course calendar that outlines their assignments. Prior to class, Jennifer asks students to “skim” over the assigned reading, review the PowerPoint presentation, and review the pre-recorded lecture. “The expectation is that they won’t know everything about the content, but they at least have a foundation and frame of reference, so they are prepared when they come to class.” Jennifer also assigns the Personalized Learning Modules in Davis Advantage which include pre-tests, videos, and post-tests. “Students are required to get the green thumbs-up on the post-test and turn in their results.”
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