Purpose

A clinical instructor is an experienced practitioner who provides supervision during clinical practice and facilitates the application of theory to practice for students and staff learners. They assist the learner by setting expectations, providing effective feedback about their performance, and providing appropriate opportunities to meet their learning objectives.

Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences support healthcare providers who actively participate in our student's education by offering excellent clinical training opportunities. Clinical instructors transmit skills and serve as mentors who convey the core values important to Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences: accountability, collaboration, honesty, inclusiveness, and wellness. 

Clinical instructors do what no textbook or classroom can accomplish. As a result, the students benefit from the community-based experience, while preceptors benefit from integrating new ideas and techniques into their practices currently taught in academic health sciences institutions.

Learning Objectives

1. Explore common challenges and stressors faced by students in healthcare settings.
2. Review how these experiences impact students' well-being and professional development.
3. Describe strategies to coach and support students through emotionally challenging situations.
4. Discuss methods to create a learning culture that encourages open dialogue, reduces stigma, and supports students' mental health and success in healthcare training.

Speaker

Marti Doyle, MSW, PhD
Associate Professor, Social Science, Mercy College of Health Sciences

Dr. Doyle has been working in healthcare education for over 19 years and is committed to healthcare student support and success. She was a counselor for Mercy College of Health Sciences (MCHS) students and created and developed the Mercy College of Health Sciences Student Success Program. She strongly advocates for students and is an active member of the college's diversity and inclusion council. 

Dr. Doyle believes that education should be a transformative experience for students. She has researched using a transformative learning approach to challenge students' current attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs about death and dying. She currently teaches social science courses at MCHS using this transformative learning approach. Her course load includes the higher social science level course for Mercy's Health Science program, including Death, Dying, and Bereavement. This course allows students to explore and transform their awareness of death and dying.

Before entering the educational field, Dr. Doyle worked as a hospice social worker and bereavement counselor. She continues to volunteer in hospice, providing support to patients and families facing a terminal diagnosis, including patients who are in the active dying process. 

Dr. Doyle holds a doctorate in Human Services from Capella University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Iowa, a bachelor's in human services from Grand View University, and a graduate certificate in Health Care Ethics from Creighton University. Dr. Doyle believes that helping healthcare students develop a strong foundation for their personal and professional lives is an important part of her life's legacy.

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Recording date: June 18, 2024
Date of original release: June 18, 2024
Most recent review/update: June 18, 2024
Termination date: June 17, 2027