Significance of Practicing
The majority of students remarked that the videorecording was an opportunity to practice communication skills before encountering real patients. One student stated:
For me, I was nervous to do the recording, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Yes, I did have points during the interview where I didn’t know what to say or where to take the interview next, but I feel like it was good practice before I got to clinical, so at least I had some foundation about communication with patients with mental illness.
The chance to practice communication was noted to increase self-confidence. One student expressed, “I thought it was nice to get a little practice beforehand, as well as feeling like I can learn to talk with people who have mental illnesses.”
Opportunity for Self-Evaluation
Watching the videorecording and writing the self-analysis made students aware of both their communication strengths and weaknesses. Some students only identified a need for improvement, whereas others noted possessing both assets and deficits in their communication skills. One student stated:
We were really able to reflect back after and see where mistakes were made and how we could improve on them It’s something that is a learning process, and I think doing is this way helps us to know what areas we have strength in and which areas we heed to work mote on.
Echoing this sentiment, another student noted, “The activity itself was good practice and the video analysis gave me excellent opportunity to do self-evaluation, which I appreciated.”
Value of Getting Below the Surface
Some students articulated they be came more aware of how specific communication strategies result in better nursing assessment. One student indicated, “I realized how much more I need to explore and how I need to have an end goal to my questions. It is not just about listening, but bout directing. That is something I need to learn.” An other student reaffirmed, “It helped me realize that communication techniques are important and how to approach a difficult subject and learn more about a patient and his/her history.”