Rites of passage: becoming a health visitor

Dr Karen StricklandAssociate Head,

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Becoming a Health Visitor

Threshold • Disruption to previous

identity• Undertaking new role• Uncertain knowledge• Uncertain territory

Liminal Self• betwixt and between• Professional self

unbalanced• Personal self

unbalanced

Post-liminal self

“Embarking” on HV education Learning “to be” a HV “Becoming” a HV

P r o f e s s i o n a l t r a n s i ti o n

Disciplinary Bottlenecks!

Becoming a Health Visitor

Emotional obstacles

Knowledge obstacles

Procedural obstacles

Adapted from Diaz et al, 2014

Decoding the

discipline

1. Identify Bottlenecks

2.Define the processes that students need

to master

3. Model these

processes.

4. Create opportunities

to practice and get

feedback

5. Motivate students

6. Assess student mastery

7. Share what has been learned

http://www.decodingthedisciplines.org/index.html Diaz et al, 2014

Middendorf & Pace, 2004

Supporting professional transitions: the practice teacher role

• Assisting students to develop a sense of professional identity; • Consolidating students’ learning;• Enabling students to enhance professional skills and competencies; • Providing opportunities for consolidation of career development and

planning processes;• Preparing students as ethical citizens and leaders.

McNamara et al, 2011

Becoming a Health Visitor

Threshold • Disruption to previous

identity• Undertaking new role• Uncertain knowledge• Uncertain territory

Liminal Self• betwixt and between• Professional self

unbalanced• Personal self

unbalanced

Post-liminal self• Transformation of the self• Reincorporation to new

narrative• The student has become a

Health visitor

“Embarking” on HV education Learning “to be” a HV “Becoming” a HV

P r o f e s s i o n a l t r a n s i ti o n

P r a c ti c e Te a c h e r R o l e

Conclusions

• Supporting student health visitors is a partnership

• The transition to becoming a health visitor is both a personal and professional journey

• There are bottlenecks along the way!