TELENURSING IN PHYSICAL AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS’ TRAINING

Abstract

The necessity of distance learning of specialists practitioners, in particular in the field of knowledge «Health care», which is induced by COVID-19, causes a significant public response. This is due to a possible decline in the quality of higher education, and therefore the security of citizens and the state. Consequently, the search of modern, effective methods and means of learning and training for healthcare specialists is relevant. Quarantine restrictions of educational communication have sharpened attention, firstly, to telecommunication means, secondly, to active learning methods, and thirdly, to the mobilization of internal reserves to expand the practical educational component. This is how the idea of simulated professional support arose. It was realized by the students of physical therapy during the rehabilitation period of a university lecturer. It was the postoperative period of endoprosthesis and simulated professional support was provided with the help of telenursing. The essence of the simulation was that the real rehabilitation period had already passed, but it was agreed to repeat it for a didactic purpose. 46 first-year students of the specialty «Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy» took part in the experiment. At first, they were trained a set of exercises (according to the recommendations of the clinic), while paying attention to the practical, psychological and pedagogical aspects of interaction. Then, students conducted rehabilitation classes with the help of telecommunication means, which lasted for a month. An incoming survey was conducted (based on motivation of professional activity): among the students and it showed that 32 of them (69.6%) are positively professionally motivated, 45 respondents (97.8%) felt subjective satisfaction with their professional choice. The final study (an interview) with the question «How has the attitude to professional activity changed») represents that 31 (67.4%) respondents were ready for practical conduction of similar professional support. Telenursing proves its effectiveness not only as a means of actual patient care (according to the literature), but also as a kind of learning, using a case study (according to our data). However, the telecommunication means, which were chosen for rehabilitation, including video communication via Viber and Messenger as more common among the potential customers, did not fully satisfy students who preferred Microsoft Teams and Google Meet as less related to social media and personal profiles data, as well as with better possibilities of lesson planning. This indicates the formation of professional competencies that are based on the combination of psychological and pedagogical, information and communication competencies, hence, the effectiveness of the proposed method.