Health Teaching Models

Health promotion is enabling people to take control and improve their own health. This entails among other things strengthening and improving environmental conditions to support a healthy lifestyle (Groves et al., 2016). One of the tools used in health promotion is education which aims at creating public awareness. In this respect, the nurse educator engages the public in communication for behavioral change, awareness on varies disease problems among other efforts. Education as a health promotion tool requires the use of various teaching models. These can be applied on both the public and fellow health workers who in turn offer services to the patient population. One of the most common teaching models are apprenticeship and the health service model (Groves et al., 2016). In the former, an experienced nurse facilitates the learning of less skilled peers. This model works effectively in situations where there is need for community based health workers to offer primary care. On the other hand, the health service model entails a situation where a nurse renders services to the community and the learner observes and seeks to apply the same. This paper compares and contrasts apprenticeship and service learning education models.

            There are several similarities between the apprenticeship and the service learning model.  First, both models are teacher centered. The health worker is directly involved in imparting knowledge to the less skilled worker in the apprenticeship model and the student in the health service model. Moreover, both models focus on training skilled and semi skilled health workers to promote population health, rather than directly making contact with the patient population (Holloway & Galvin, 2016). They thus indirectly promote health through education as they equip individuals who are at the point-of-care and ultimately hold responsibility for the health of the population. In another dimension, both models involve passive learners. In both the apprenticeship and the health service model, the learning amasses knowledge by observation.

 There are equally a number of differences between the apprenticeship and service learning models. The former is moderately teacher directed and more of student focused whereas latter is minimally teacher directed and more student of focused. Additionally, apprenticeship is employer based where a few employees are selected by the employer to engage in training that ultimately contributes to health promotion (Groves et al., 2016). On its part, service learning is put in place by a learning institution to help students put to practice what they have learnt. Apprenticeship is a structured mentoring by an experienced healthcare worker while service learning is community based aimed at applying skills to real life situations. Service learning is also focused on skills for team work and community involvement. On the other hand, apprentice skills are competitive and employer driven, normally rewarding the best among available human resource. Of the two models, the apprenticeship model fits my core beliefs because of its focus on excellence and rewarding hard work. Apprentices are chosen on the basis of their efforts at work and their selection is thus in the form of a reward.

In conclusion, health promotion aims at enabling people to take responsibility and improve their own health.  Health promotion by nurses increases positive health outcomes and improves the quality of life. As demonstrated, education is one of the tools of health promotion and involves a variety of teaching models.  The apprenticeship and service learning models were discussed in this paper. It was apparent that there were several differences and similarities, albeit both working towards promoting health through education.

References

Groves, P., Kayyali, B., Knott, D., & Kuiken, S. V. (2016). The’big data’revolution in healthcare: Accelerating value and innovation.

Holloway, I., & Galvin, K. (2016). Qualitative research in nursing and healthcare. John Wiley & Sons.