LEARNING CONTRACT

The purpose of the Learning Contract is to develop and evaluate personal learning goals for practicum and simulation learning experiences. This assignment has two parts and accounts for 5% of the course grade. This assignment must be no more than 1-2 typed written pages and one objective table (total of 3 pages).

Part One – Developing

1. Explain your ability to prioritize patient care; perform focused and comprehensive assessments; communicate with patients, colleagues, and healthcare team members; make safe and accurate clinical decisions using critical thinking; and delegate nursing tasks. Then write 1 paragraph expressing your goals for improvement over the course of your final semester. This part of the assignment must be no more than 1-2 pages in length.

Do not submit more than 2 pages.

2. Using the
NURS 429 Learning Contract Table identify 3 learning objectives for your off-site practicum experience. This assignment requires you use the table template provided (below) and follow the directions as written.

Part Two – Evaluating

NURS 429 Learning Contract Objectives

DIRECTIONS:

After completion of your skills day experience, reflect on your performance and on all your previous clinical experiences throughout your coursework at UMSON. After reflecting, develop 3 learning goals (cognitive, psychomotor, and affective). Your learning goals should be SMART goals as (see “Help with Writing Goals” section below) and must be submitted on the table included below. Please avoid task oriented goals like “I want to be able to start an IV.” Think deeper and consider more complex goals that can be accomplished in your 1:1 practicum experience.

The Learning Contract (LC) Part One is due Sunday February 12, 2023 at 11:59 pm.
Please reference the UMSON late policy as it will be followed without exception.

After beginning practicum, your learning contract objectives should be shared with your practicum preceptor. On the day of your last (10th) practicum shift, review your objectives again with your preceptor and complete LC Part Two by evaluating if your goals were 1. met or not met, and 2. provide an explanation for this rating for each goal.

The Learning Contract (LC) Part Two is due 1 Week (7 days) after your LAST practicum shift.
Please reference the UMSON late policy as it will be followed without exception.

Help with writing LEarning goals

Identifying and analyzing learning goals is an essential component of professional development, not only as a student but also throughout one’s nursing career. Learning goals must be behavioral, specific, and measurable.

A learning goal simply stating, “understands cancer drugs” is not measurable and, therefore cannot be analyzed. The word “understand” is broad and cannot be discretely measured. By contrast, a learning goal stating, “compares therapeutic regimens for solid tumor cancers” is specific, measurable and can be analyzed.

Learning goals usually begin with an action verb that is specific and measurable. The elements of a behavioral objective can be remembered with the mnemonic “SMART.” SMART stands for: S – specific (simple, sensible, significant), M – measurable (meaningful, motivating), A – achievable (agreed, attainable), R – relevant (reasonable, realistic, and results-based), and T – time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive; Mindtools, 2017).

In addition to SMART, learning objectives are written for three (3) different areas or DOMAINS of learning: 1) cognitive, 2) psychomotor, or 3) affective. The original theory was developed in the 1950’s by Robert Bloom and associates and has been further developed for the nursing profession. The following information and tables can help you develop your individual goals.

WRITING COGNITIVE GOALS

The cognitive domain refers to intellectual activities required in nursing. The following list of verbs in a hierarchy of increasing complexity can assist in the development of cognitive objectives.

WRITING PSYCHOMOTOR GOALS

The psychomotor domain includes fine motor skills such as administering medications and applying dressings, manual skills such as suctioning, palpation, and percussion, and gross motor skills such as positioning and transferring. The following verbs can assist you in writing psychomotor objectives.

WRITING AFFECTIVE GOALS

The affective domain refers to attitudes, beliefs, values, feelings, and emotions, as organized in a hierarchy of professional development ranging from external to internal locus of control for behaviors demonstrating affective aspects of care. Affective objectives might include phrases such as “assumes responsibility for”, “involves patients in decisions about care”, “demonstrates dedication and motivation”, etc.

For additional support as you develop objectives, reference the following, Mind Tools link.
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm