This is the abstract I wrote for this paper:
Aims: The paper aims to examine how technology can help bridge the gap between education
and clinical practice.
Background: There is a significant problem with health professionals’ preparation — the gap between academia and clinical setting.
In educational environments, students are not always exposed to or able to practice the skills they need for the actual clinical setting. Can modern technological instruments and simulation enhance the theory and the practice?
Design: This position paper will review ways to better prepare health professionals through the use of technology and innovative approaches.
Methods: A literature review of the use of technology in education, targeting health professionals, was completed. Technologies from multiple disciplines were explored to support review findings.
Conclusion: The integrated review discovered three main stages in which the gap between education and health care practice is most evident: one in clinical rotation placement during school or internship, two in the first job after graduation, and three in the training-practice transfer of continued professional education and training.
Clinical placement and preceptor qualifications are often either hastily or poorly selected. Graduates who are experiencing the workplace for the first time often learn that what they were taught in the classroom does not translate well in practice. They find that their education has not prepared them appropriately for the work they are expected to do and may need extra support.
The first six to nine months are a particular “critical phase” that affects young healthcare professionals’ professional development, retention, and career success. The third missing piece exists where health professionals find that their continuing professional development training does not translate into day-to-day clinical practice.
Relevance: This article discusses how technology can improve health care professionals’ job preparation and professional development.
Key Word: Technology, education, continuing education, clinical practice, and health care professional.
Additional suggestions to incorporate in the paper:
I’d like to see evidence that health professionals are not well-prepared to practice built into your background statement.
The conclusion might have a statement regarding the role of technology and a hint about the methods by which it can help provide support for the needs of new graduates as they transition to the working world.
