Final evaluation on MINE IP

Two weeks have now passed after MINE ended and we arrived back in Denmark. I have been ill since I got back, so I have not even been to work yet - realy anoying. But I plan to start this monday again.
Of cause it's different to get back after beeing with so many people all the time and this has been a enjoyble experience to meet so many different studentens, mentors and academics. All have contribiuted with there different views on nursing.
It is first now that I can look at what the learning outcome has been for me personaly.

I came with very high expectations to these 12 days. I have been working abroad for so many years with nureses and other professionel areas from so many different cultures in my special field, that I hoped to get even more now with the sudents onbord. And that was my reason to apply for this IP.

I think what I have learned though the MINE project is that Europe is getting smaller in the way that more people travel to other countries to study, work, and live for a shorter or longer period of time. When we travel we bring our own culture and understanding with us but we also learn something new.
Some cultures are very simmilar to us were others are very different. This is what creates the challenge but at the same time what makes international nursing interesting. Different cultures approaces nursing based on their environment and attitudes to those with an illness. The cultural visits and tours around the hospitals showed the different approaches and how culture, politics, way of life, attitudes and society create different health models and hence, different approaches in nursing. The cultural visits help create a great atmosphere where we could approach each others and get to know how people felt about the programme, nursing etc.
I do think we can learn a lot from each other and we can give each other good ideas as to how we can improve our nursing.

That is also why I find it a bit a shame that there was not more sturctred time for the mentors and academics to discuss this as a groupe. And also bring in the students on that.
When we finaly got the group to meet it was hard enough to get everone to focus on the task ahead so there wasen't that much time for realy group discussion.
If there was a thing I would have liked to change is that the mentor group should have been put into use in a better way.
Making the digital story was fun and in many ways educating. But it did not use peoples knowledge and potentiel well enough. Much more focus on dialog and dissucion would be my idea - because it takes time with coummunication when english isn't the first laungage. Communication is hard enough in you own laugage, but to get the right point acrose in english is a challange for all.

The MINE IP was an intensive sharing of ideas, thoughts and attitudes. It prepares students nurses going on exchange as to some of the realities of what they might experience and what they need to prepare for. It also allows a student to network and think about the country they would like to go to on exchange.
For the mentors it tried to guide us in how we need to prepare for students, examining our own practice and the practice of those coming to us and, what support structures we have and need to develop. The key area for me is preparation and getting to know the student before they come.
The MINE has helped me to see even more when we get students from other countries as to what I need to do to prepare but also I feel I understand more about their background and nursing profession.
I feel the Erasmus programs helps to bring down barriers and to establish exchange of information between the partners. And when you get to experience some of it yourself it is easier to explain it and perhaps implement some of the new knowledge in your own institut or hospital.

Before we got to Finland we all had to make a presentation of ourselves on Facebook. I think the general idea is good but there where  to many people in the group that whern't where part of the group for 2012. It would be much better to have a groupe for each year.
I was also missing the dissusion of etical conduct on Facebook - why not put that into the pathces?? You need to bring this up before you start using public medias as Facebook and blogs. It needs to be discussed what to put into this and what not....and why - dicuss how it reflects back on you when other people read it or see pictures of you. That is realy one thing that needs to be adressed in the begining.
Facebook helps but so would Skype or Messenger. I think the MINE projects idea of Facebook to help getting to know/share ideas was importent and the way for the future. It also mean we can still keep in contact, network and share ideas long after the IP has ended. For the mentors and academics I am sure they found they are more aware of different teaching/learning methods and how they might implement them.

We also had to make a film about our country before we came. I really liked the films that where made and they gave an impression about the people who had made the films. Everybody had approached the fim making in different ways - whice was fun and educational to watch.
Maybe the films could be uploaded to the WIKI so others would benefit from them? It would be a shame to let them go to waste. 

The WIKI site is a good idea. I hope in the future all the students who are thinking of studying aboard will have the opportunity to visit the site. There are a lot of good and useful information on the site and the site is made for students by students which mean that there is information on the site you probably would not get if it is  made by mentors or academics.
The new forum on the site so former exchange students can write about their experiences and students think about going on exchange is a brilliant idea and I do hope that the site will be publice to all students so that the work and knowledge that is put into it is not wasted.     
Blogging took time to get used to. I wanted to do a blog each day and felt if I didn't I would miss key information. I can see this is a valuable tool for the student and assessor with regards to feedback and reflection. It might be good to have the student have to do a daily entry so at the end of the programme their are 12 blogs from everyone.
This might be too demanding though and against the nature of MINE (who knows) and adult learning but if it should be usefull then I find it importent to be done well.

The digital stories were educative and a new teaching/learning experience I have had. To be creative, explore meaning with images, try new ideas, use technology and work, as a team is a very interisting thing. If it's me I'm not sure, but I do think that for some this metod is benifitiel and I will take the idea back with me to my students.

Assessment patches where something new to me as well. I can see how these together make a complete assessments. The whole is bigger than the parts and I think this is true with MINE. We already did part of the patchwork before we landed in Finland so this was a nice start! But we need more information earlier. Denmark as a new participater realy needed to get information much earlier - and I do fully understand different reasons why it did not happen - but it is importent - we would have liked to have done so many things in an other way if we new wahts was expected of us.

All participants can take their experiences back to their colleagues and share what they have learnt. I plan to do this and will be presenting what the programme was/is, what I have learnt and how we (as a whole) can benefit from.
Just before we (the danish delegation) left for Finland we got a mail sayng that the academics need to do a presentaion of the nursing in there country and the mentor could participate if they feelt for it. That was really not okay. The information that was presented should be from all - student, mentores and academics. And the ones who used that approache where the ones who did the best and most inspiering presentations. I would have hoped that we have had much more time for this, because this was a realy god thing.

Also from my point of view the whole pedagogy thought behind MINE should have been presendted much more clearly.
A lot of the things what was done - or realy not done irretated me a lot (not starting on time, not giving full information, lack of precise information and thaen still expect people to get it.... ect.) And I do think if the strategy and pedagogy behind MINE was clearly explained it would have been easier to follow for students, mentors and academics - and we could have supported it much better.
It may seem very critical what I'm writing but I have learned that there is a very fine line betveen letting people be creative and lose and not communicat enough information to them.

Finaly:I found the MINE IP to be a learning experience. It showed me a different ways to learn by being creative and drawing on other people experience. The final conference was very well done. The result of hard work, group work, sharing and enjoying the whole process.

If I have to end with something - which seems like a mantra for me is once again communication is importent before during and after in a cleare and precise way. That is the only why you can make sure that everyone is one the same page.

Take Care and hope to meet many of you again

Group Work

I feel that we in the Mentor Group have come to a good start with everything.
In the begining it was a difficult task to get everybody focusing on what is expected of us, and get every on to participate in the work.
But now all are eager to contribute to the process and the end product. They are really creative people in my group - so it's going to be a creativ but also very interesting presentation.


The group work is begining to show it's dificulties for some of the students. They try and cope with it - patience is testet, some handel it better than others. You can easy see which students are used to group work and who is not, but it is still a struggle for them all.

I do think that it is a very fine balance between giving cleare instructions for the students and letting them be creativ. If I look back on the whole process until now I do think the instructions could be more cleare and the frame for them to work under should be tighter.

First day in the second week

I realy feel that we have moved forward in the Mentor group today. All the film, pictures and interviews are done wich feels realy nice. It looks good and I think we should be proud of what we have maanged to create until now.
The editing is a big essue, but it seems that everybody is happy with the way things have played out.
We are meeting tonight to discus the extra part we want to do - showing differences and similaritys in mentoring around the parcipating countries. So hopefully everybody will have something from each contry to add to this discussion, so we can create at good presentation. And we will see the first draft of our movie.

Timing everything is going to be interesting, I'm looking forward to hear all the students great and very ambitious ideas. Even when they are frustrated they try and go for it....I do admire the drive they have.

Today I had the opportunity to watch some of the groups work, they do that in very different ways -it's very interesting. Some are very group oriented others are more going solo....

Everybody is going to have a long night tonight so lets se......

The weekend and looking back at the week as a whole

It's Sunday and time for some reflections on what has been experienced until now.
I have found that Friday was the day that we realy started the group work.It's much cleare after all or discusions in the mentor group how we can bring our part forward.

To work with so many different people, with different cultures and expectations for this work is challenging but also very exeting.
It takes quiet a lot off work to bring everybody together and focus on our task....
It's not only the task but also the language, not all are able to follow when we all speak at the same time. But also to understand the mening behind what is said, so that their are NO misunderstandings.

One of the things I have been thinking of is, that even when we are very different in backgrounds and way we practise nursing and teach the students we are also very similar.
We all have the same problems and frustrations about the students and our mentoring job. And that I find very interesting, because we then have a commen starting point.

The rest of the weekend have been more in the sign of party, witsh I think has been great for the students....they are bonding trough it.
I'm looking forward to be doing my interviews for the digital story with students.

The first week of MINE is comming to an end

The first couple of days have been filled with a lot of information.
Which has been really good....but still I'm strugling to see the hole picture.

As as first time on MINE for Denmark many things where new.
The strategy behind MINE wasn't that cleare, but by networking with the other Mentors and students it's easyer to see the picture now.

Reflection on the Program:
One of the things that struck me when I saw the program was that we where starting so late..... I'm used to being up and in action at 7:00 at work. That is when I'm most productiv. But I do think it's a great idea to be a little later, because we then have the time in the evnings to interact with boot, students, mentors and academics.

The danes are very structured when we do meetings and causes for students, nurses or any other people. Time is always keept, witch I feel is important so that the ones who are giving a lecture or presentation do have the time that they have prepared for.
I think time should be used properly when we are so many people that have travled to come together....but I do regotnice that there can be things that shifts the program....and makes things difficult.

I have been creating a lot of nephrology conferences in my time, and getting enough breaks in have always been very difficult, because we wanted to do so much when you finaly have people together. I'm really impressed of all the breaks we have, because the discusions and interations are really very important.

The country presentations where really good, and I would have liked more time for discussions and debat. I think that even if we are many people it can be good to hear the questions from others...and inspirer even the shy ones to ask a question.
I have found the information on the way they structure there nursing programes really good. It gets you thinking that nursing education can be done in many ways, not just in the one way you know. It gives you ideas to how we can improve our own ways....it was very inspiring. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of the presentations on Friday.
But one of the things I was notisting is that it was only the academic that did the presentations. I do feel that the hole groupe(academic, mentors, students) from each country should contribute to this. Every part of the group have a unike view on nursing from where they are.

The European Marked:
The marked was a really great idea and got people talking.
I was thinking that it could be a great thing to have the marked the first day, it would make a good way of interacting... And food and drinks bond people.

More will follow tomorrow.........

First Day of MINE is finished

We arrived safely in Pori, but 1 1/2 houres later than planed because of flight delay in Helsinki. 2.30 in the morning we Got to the hostel!

So after 4 houres sleep we started MINE for the First time.
It has been a great day, we have seen the hospital - I got to visit the nephrology ward but also as a favor for me to see the haemodialyses ward. A Big thank you to Harry for that!!!!!
They have the same Fresenius mashines as we have, and the biggest room is for 6 patients.

We did quiet some teambulding wich was fun and very good for interacting with new people.
The presentation during the day from last years students, and all the others where good. And it is a little bit more cleare what we have to accomplish during the next 12 days.

The organising people from Pori are dooing a good job, they are very helpfull and friendly in every way.

Now we are so tiered, and fuld of impressions that it is spion bed time.

Soon it's time

Time is running quickly, its a busy time for the students and mentors.
But soon the we are going to arrive in Pori and all meet each other.

Winter and cold has come to Denmark, I think it's to remind me that it's going to even colder in Finland....and that is one thing I'm really not looking forward to.

I'm looking forward to meeting everybody and to get the handbook for the IP.

See you all soon