CALS Reflection: A Case Study

Summary and Synthesis Learners verbalized an appreciation for the CALS app. Learners stated it was easy to navigate and provided great reinforcement to what was taught during the lecture. One nurse stated that she tends to need to go back and reread information in order to fully comprehend it. The app provided her the opportunity to review the lecture information, as well as a CALS simulation, at her own convenience and pace. The discussion was also well received, as nurses were able to work with one another to care for this patient, rather than feeling pressured to know all of the answers themselves. Unfortunately, with the newest Apple update, it crashed the CALS app and two of the participants’ app froze, while the third participant …show more content…
Since the setting is hospital-based, as opposed to academic, non-graded, informal feedback is appropriate for providing nurses with an assessment of their individual performance. Formative evaluations throughout the CALS lecture were provided mainly through feedback stemming from case study reviews. The CALS simulation class also included an assessment rubric used to guide observations and identify learning among participating nurses. Formative evaluations, according to Gaberson and Oermann (2010), “enable students to develop further their clinical knowledge, skills, and values; indicate areas in which learning and practice are needed; and provide a basis for suggesting additional instruction to improve performance” (p.373). Nurses participating in the classes have an opportunity to use the feedback to identify their areas of weaknesses and focus their efforts on improving those areas for future …show more content…
However during the CALS class, evaluations guided by Bloom’s Taxonomy, are used in making logical and manageable evaluations, which foster best practices. The cognitive domain includes concepts of knowledge, comprehension, and the ability to apply concepts learned. Case study discussions were used to allow nurse to reflect on the information provided during the didactic and assess their understanding and application of the CALS protocol. During the simulation, nurses applied the psychomotor domain by participating in a mock re-sternotomy, internal defibrillation and cardiac massage. Observation of skill, performance, and procedure guided the assessments. The affective domain includes emotions, attitudes, and values. In a class setting, this can be assessed by observing participation and attentiveness. Simply, observing whether students appear to be listening and are interactive with the rest of the group highlights the affective