Becoming a person-centred facilitator of learning in a hospital setting: Findings from a participatory action-oriented study with hospital-based educators

Abstract

Aim Investigate the experience of hospital-based educators becoming person-centred facilitators of learning. Background Hospital-based educators working with staff are not well-prepared for their role. No person-centred pedagogical approaches exist specifically for use in hospital settings. Educators are positioned to advance person-centredness in clinical practice. To do so they need knowledge and skills in person-centred approaches. Little is known about how educators transform from teacher-centred approaches to person-centred facilitation. This study investigated how educators learn about and use person-centred principles to acquire educational theory and become person-centred facilitators. Design Participatory, action-oriented research Methods Guided by four person-centred principles blending relational inquiry and practice development, 10 educators participated in group and individual sessions over 18 months. Data were analyzed using relational inquiry and critical creative hermeneutics. Results Becoming person-centred facilitators was enabled through three principles: starting with self, developing community and belonging and bumping against culture and inviting transformation. Participants became person-centred facilitators through intrapersonal, interpersonal and contextual transformations during moments of discovery, reconciliation and action. Competence developed by experiencing and using four methodological principles of taking a relational stance; using active learning to learn in and from practice; being collaborative, inclusive and participatory; and linking creativity with cognition. This model resulted in improved trust, strengthened relationships and more meaningful and robust learning outcomes. Conclusions Hospital-based educators can be enabled to become person-centred facilitators by providing them with person-centred learning opportunities. The four methodological principles, as a model for person-centred education, provided an effective preparation and orientation to educational and person-centred theory.