Writers: Heidi Korhonen, a senior lecturer, MHSc, RN at Lapland University of Applied Sciences along with nursing students Evelyne Chicukwa, Jhermaine Von Etrata and Marie Lagundi.

Health care students and teachers from Nordic countries and Estonia brought together at the Medico Nordplus Intensive Week

Over the years, nurses have been pro-active in handling medication management in this modern world. The existence of challenges in medication administration faced by nurses is a constant battle within the healthcare field. This is because a significant portion of nursing time is spent on medication administration as well as it being a high-risk activity (Keohane et. al 2008).

However, combination of education and risk management strategies and the use of bar code technology have been successful in reducing medication administration errors (Lapkin et al. 2016). The latest research has also highlighted a need for integrated and comprehensive medication education to support students’ competence development (Sulosaari et. al 2015.) The primary aim of this Medico Nordplus Intensive Week was to bring together experts and students to discuss these currents issues in health care field.

Participants from Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia and Iceland were gathered once again in this momentous yearly event, Medico Nordplus Intensive Week course. The course was arranged by the Medico network – a collaboration to develop medication education in undergraduate nursing programs and increase the quality of medication education in participating countries (Medico 2020.)

Medico Intensive training was set to be held in Åland Island 20th-24th of April 2020. Due to unforeseen Covid-19 situation, the activities for the whole week were adjusted and re-planned. The organizers decided to conduct an online course in order to accommodate the situation.

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Picture 1. Joining the Medico Nordplus Intensive week via Zoom

A group of vivacious participants which included teachers and nursing students coming from different Universities of Applied Sciences actively participated during the week-long intensive course. This event highlighted the promotion of exchanges of experiences and cultural differences in medical treatment conducted by as well as providing support in building student´s professional competence.

Multicultural discussion and Zoom workshops

The Zoom (web-based video conferencing tool) and UCN Canvas were the main tools used during the week-long intensive course. The Medico Intensive training was divided into four themes: 1. Patient involvement in medication safety, 2. Nursing competence in medication administration, 3. Sustainability- how to make nursing greener and 4. Technology and medication – administration advantages and disadvantages.

The highlight of the training was when students were given a possibility to gather in Zoom workshops, discussing thoroughly their thoughts about the themes using pre-assignments and evidence-based articles they had studied in order to support their ideas. The discussion groups were multicultural which made it even more fruitful.

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Picture 2. Participants of the Medico Nordplus Intensive Week

Evelyne Chikukwa, Jhermaine Von Etrata and Marie Lagundi (nursing students), were the Lapland UAS representatives together with Heidi Korhonen, as their guiding teacher.

Students managed to incorporate and share their experiences based on the learnings they have acquired during practical trainings, class lectures and training camps during their nursing studies. Overall, participants were able to fulfill their learning goals in the training and use this gained understanding in their chosen career.

References:

Keohane, C.A., Bane, A.D,. Featherstone, E., Hayes, J., Hurley, A., Bates, D.W., Gandhi, T.K & Poon, E.G. 2008. Quantifying Nursing Workflow in Medication Administration. The Journal of Nursing Administration. 38, 19-26.

Lapkin, S., Levett-Jones, T., Chenoweth L. & Johnson, M. 2016. The effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce medication administration errors: a synthesis of findings from systematic reviews. Journal of Nursing Management. 24, 845-858.

Medico 2020. Medication management by nurses in a modern world – future challenges and possibilities. Study guide.

Sulosaari, V., Huupponen, R., Hupli, M., Puukka, P, Torniainen, K & Leino-Kilpi, H. 2015. Factors accociated with nursing students’ medication competence at the beginning and end of their education. 15, 1-11.