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Sessional teachers in a BN program: bridging the divide or widening the gap?
Sharon Andrew1, Elizabeth J Halcomb, Debra Jackson
1School of Nursing & Midwifery, College of Health & Science, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia. s.andrew@uws.edu.au
Nurse Education Today
|November 13, 2009
Summary
Sessional nursing teachers enhance Bachelor of Nursing programs by bringing clinical reality and experiential knowledge to students. Strategies are needed to support these valuable educators in bridging the theory-practice gap.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Higher Education Workforce Studies
Background:
- Increasing casualisation of the academic workforce impacts Bachelor of Nursing (BN) programs.
- Sessional teachers, often from clinical backgrounds, balance teaching with practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore sessional nursing teachers' perceptions of their contribution to an undergraduate BN program.
- To understand the unique value and challenges faced by sessional educators in nursing.
Main Methods:
- Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve sessional teachers.
- Qualitative data analysis explored themes related to their teaching experiences.
Main Results:
- Sessional teachers perceived their key contributions as "Bringing 'reality' to the classroom" and "Privileging experiential knowledge".
- Managing the student-teacher boundary was also a significant theme.
- The theory-practice gap was an underlying narrative in their experiences.
Conclusions:
- Sessional nursing teachers offer valuable real-world insights, enriching undergraduate education.
- Developing proactive strategies can better support sessional staff and enhance their contribution to nursing programs.
- Addressing the theory-practice gap is crucial for optimizing sessional teaching effectiveness.
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