Teachers' understanding of facilitation styles with student nurses

The notion of reflective, problem-based and experiential learning has become a significant phenomenon within nurse education. This paper will explore the general philosophies that seem to influence the interactional competences employed by 20 nurse teachers teaching pre-registration student nurses human skills. A qualitative approach was adopted using the in-depth interview for data collection. The intention was to emphasise the four types of teacher that emerged from the data, ranging from type 1, who displayed a striking negative attitude towards interpersonal skills work, to type 4, who was creative and enthusiastic. The major characteristics in the different types will be outlined in this paper. For the purpose of discussion, factors that influence the learning climate will be addressed and the implications for nurse education and study limitations will be considered. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.