NRS 429 Full Course Assignments GCU

A learning style is a technique through which learners collect, search through, interpret, organize, make conclusions, and preserve knowledge. Learning styles are grouped as per sensory approaches; namely, visual, aural, read or write, and kinesthetic (Whitney, 2018). Visual learning style is whereby learners understand by use of visual tools while in aural, they understand well when they listen to instructions. The read or write learners learn best through reading or writing while in the kinesthetic group, learners gain knowledge and understanding when they are allowed to touch and feel (Whitney, 2018). The purpose of this paper will be to explore learning styles and strategies for learners. I will include a summary of my learning style as per the VARK questionnaire and the importance of identifying learning styles for educators and in health promotion.

Personal Learning Style

My learning style preference, according to the VARK questionnaire, is Strong Kinesthetic (VARK 2019). Kinesthetic preference is described as one that a learner uses experiences and real things even when they are displayed as images and on screens. My VARK results were as follows: visual-0, Aural 4, Read or Write- 3, and Kinesthetic 9 (VARK 2019). As per my learning style, I prefer to have more experiences to enhance understanding of concepts.

Preferred Learning Strategy

My preferred learning strategy is using practical experiences and real-life case studies to solve problems. By using a practical approach, I understand the concept better and also retain it for an extended period. Besides, I consider ideas to be valuable if they sound real, practical and relevant to me.  I also need to do things practically to understand. Furthermore, I prefer a feedback that involves a face-to-face discussion whereby I am shown examples of projects that demonstrate success or failure. Moreover, I prefer trainers who use examples of real-life occurrences when explaining a point since I remember the examples and relate them with the concept learned. When assessing my understanding, I look at case studies and try to solve them with the gained knowledge to determine if the theory is valuable to real-life situations.

My learning style is in line with the identified learning strategies identified for individuals with a kinesthetic strategy. According to the VARK results, people with my learning style preference like to be trained or learn through practical exercises, examples, experiences, case studies, trial and error, and using things that are real (VARK 2019). They prefer learning from autobiographies and documentaries and applications before studying theories. Besides, they prefer to have demonstrations done before applying what they have learned and like having conversations about the real things in their lives (VARK 2019). Their own experiences are more valuable than the experiences of others, and they prefer undertaking activities with others through actions and making things happen (VARK 2019). Furthermore, they enjoy working on practical problems where they gain problem-solving techniques.

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Importance of Identifying Learning Styles for Learners as an Educator

An individual’s learning style determines the degree to which one acquires knowledge and skills since individuals understand better either by visualizing, hearing, reading, or being hands on (Whitney, 2018). Further, individuals learn better when the teaching style used suits their learning style hence making them memorize what they learned during the educational activity. When educators promote a learning environment that addresses the learning styles of learners, the latter can study better and feel more comfortable in their unique styles rather than having to adapt to the changing teaching styles used by the former (Bastable, 2017). Educators need to identify the learning styles and preferences of learners since it helps not only the educator but also the learner in being more effective in the learning process.

By understanding a learner’s learning style; an educator can determine the type of teaching method, resources and teaching methods to use. For instance, auditory learners will best learn through discussions, tape recordings, seminars, and discussions, and they will probably enquire on what they have not understood (Bastable, 2017). Besides, tests for auditory learners will be best conducted using oral examinations. Moreover, by making learners aware of their learning style, educators can empower them to identify the necessity of each learning style for various disciplines.

NRS 429 Full Course Assignments GCU

The promotion of optimum health of families is imperative in healthcare. Nurses utilize their understanding of family structure and diversity in needs to develop care plans that promote the health, wellbeing, and recovery of family members. Family assessment enables nurses to provide holistic care that addresses both the actual and potential needs of the family members. The assessment provides insights into family strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to be explored to achieve the desired health-related goals. Therefore, this paper examines an interview performed with a family to identify its health status and application of family systems theory to promote positive change in the family’s functions over time.

Description of the Family Structure

The interviewed family comprises seven members that include parents aged between 40 and 50 years, a grandparent aged 75 years, and two children aged between 10 and 20 years. The family is of African American ethnicity. It is a Christian family living in a family-owned home. The father is a nurse while the mother is a teacher. The grandfather is a retired army officer. The children are school-going. The family is of the middle class, living in a healthy environment. It engages in activities that contribute to the development of the community. For example, it assists the poor in achieving their health-related needs.

Overall Health Behaviors of the Family

The interview revealed the family to be of moderate health. Most of the family members were found healthy except the grandfather who is diabetic and suffers from depression. The family engages in activities that contribute to their positive health. They include engaging in active physical activities, eating healthy diets, and utilizing social support systems to achieve their health-related needs. The interview also showed the family to utilize screening services for health problems, including hypertension, cancer, and obesity. The interview showed some areas of weaknesses that threaten its health. They include high costs of care and access to specialized care. The family raised concerns about the increasing costs of addressing the care needs of the grandfather. In most cases, the family found it hard to access the specialized care he needed due to its geographical location in the region. Therefore, it was essential to assist the family to identify ways of addressing their health-related challenges.

Functional Health Pattern Strengths

The interview revealed some functional health pattern strengths in the family. One of the strengths relates to values/health perception patterns. The family was aware of its health needs and how to achieve them. It understood the unique health needs of each member of the family. It was also aware of the importance of engaging in health practices that promote its health. For example, its members utilize screening services to identify and manage health problems promptly. The family members also engage in active physical activity to prevent health problems, including obesity, overweight, diabetes, and hypertension. The second functional area of strength identified during the interview is coping. The family acknowledged experiencing stressors that affect its overall health. However, it uses effective coping strategies such as seeking support from each other and community members to overcome the stressors. It also seeks professional support from counselors and healthcare providers to overcome adversities. Effective coping with stressors has enabled the family to develop resilience to unforeseen events that may affect its members (Davey et al., 2020).

The health and wellbeing of families depend largely on the social and environmental factors in their communities. Social and environmental factors influence the access to and utilization of healthcare services. They act as critical determinants that can either enhance or hinder the utilization of healthcare services and health outcomes of individuals with different health needs. Therefore, this paper explores the social determinants of health, age appropriate screenings and health model that can be utilized to ensure family-centered health promotion for the family interviewed in assessment one.

Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health are non-medical factors that play a role in influencing the health outcomes of individuals, families and communities. They mainly refer to the conditions where individuals are born, work, grow, live and age (Hill-Briggs et al., 2021). The assessment with the family showed a number of social determinants that influence its health. One of them is the level of income. Income is a critical determinant of health, as it influences access and affordability of care. Income also influences the affordability of health insurance programs that in turn helps lower the costs of care (Palmer et al., 2019). Income appeared to affect the health status of the family. It affected the family’s affordability of healthy diets, utilization of screening services and treatment services for the different health problems affecting the family members.

The other social determinant of health identified in the family during the interview is education. Education influences the awareness of individuals to healthy lifestyles and behaviors. It influences the uptake of services such as screening and treatment services for health problems. Education also influences other predictors of health and wellbeing such as employment status and level of income (Donkin et al., 2018). The interviewed family had well-educated members. The husband and wife were educated and working while children are in the university. The benefit of education could be seen from their increased utilization of preventive and health promotion services such as screening and treatment of diseases to prevent their progression and worsening of symptoms.

The other social determinant identified in the family is unemployment. While the parents of the family were employed, they experienced a high dependency rate from the other family members (Hill-Briggs et al., 2021). The interview showed that the grandparents and children depend largely on the little income from the parents, which affect their overall health and wellbeing. The high rate of dependency affects affordability of healthcare services as well as healthy diets for the family, hence, its health and wellbeing. The other social determinant identified from the interview is food insecurity. Adequate, healthy food is important for the promotion of the health and wellbeing of families and communities (Palmer et al., 2019). Healthy foods prevent health problems such as obesity and malnutrition in the community. The interviewed family reported that despite having access to healthy foods, affording them was a challenge. As a result, they were predisposed to making unhealthy food choices in some situations, which affects their health and wellbeing.