Vision, Mission & Values

Vision

Centre of excellence for advancing practice, learning, and education.

Mission

• To deliver entry-level and performance based programming based on foundational and specialty competencies
• To nurture collaborative relationships with stakeholders by aligning education with health system planning and outcomes
• To foster a culture of teaching and learning excellence, built on discovery, innovation and collaboration
• To provide curricular design and delivery expertise to health system partners in response to organizational priorities
• To respond to organizational educational priorities, advancing practice needs and quality improvement initiatives

Our Values

• Respect is caring for each other and those we serve with diverse viewpoints and individual differences
• Integrity is being honest and ethical in all professional actions
• Courage is doing what is right even when it may be difficult
• Innovation is being open to change, learning new things and exploring new possibilities
• Excellence is evidence-informed practice and learning in the identification, development and delivery of quality programs
• Accountability is collaborating with the people we serve and each other for our decisions and actions
• Interprofessional Education is valuing differences and working together to improve outcomes and enhance the experience of care amid unprecedented health care challenges
• Learning Culture is a mindset and philosophy that supports lifelong learning and adaptation through the transition to practice and ongoing professional development for all health care professionals

Statement of Philosophy

At the Nova Scotia Health Learning Institute for Health Care Providers, we believe teaching and learning is best enhanced when it is fostered along a continuum of growth including transition to practice and role optimization through practice progression.

We believe:

LEARNERS

• Have a preferred learning style and require opportunities to be exposed to multiple ways of learning.
• Bring diverse viewpoints and individual differences that contribute to the learning experience.
• Require opportunities to learn in a safe, non-threatening environment.
• Value ongoing feedback through the learning cycle as a means to improve their performance.
• Are active participants in learning.
• Are highly respected professionals with well-defined standards of professional practice.

LEARNING IS

• Active, engaging, and more than the transmission of knowledge, skills and abilities
• Enhanced when individuals are introduced, included, and immersed in curriculum which serves to advance knowledge, skill, and practice competency development
• Influenced by personal values of the learner, the learning context, motivation and commitment during the learning process, as well as other attributes that influence the acquisition of knowledge, skills and abilities for the competency being developed.
• Facilitated when the learner’s past knowledge, skills and experiences are valued and recognized.
• Supported when communication between the learner and the facilitator is respectful, open and honest.
• Enabled through socialization within the practice environment for the development of professional identity and feeling part of a supportive team culture.
• A lifelong process achieved through continuous reflective practice.
• Collaborative, which serves to improve individual and team performance and patient outcomes.
• Facilitated when concepts are presented in a deliberative manner connecting theory to practice
• Used to foster critical thinking and the practical application of concepts at the point-of-care.
• A strategy to foster transition to practice of individuals along their journey from novice to expert.

TEACHING IS

• An interactive process that bridges theory to practice through evidence informed strategies.
• An art based upon theories about how learning occurs, and the professional relationships formed between facilitators and learners.
• A science based on evidence informed instructional strategies which link to other curricular processes: Needs assessment(s), goals, implementation and assessment/evaluation of learning.
• A process used to develop critical reasoning, ethical thinking and an appreciation for diverse ways of thinking.
• A means to facilitate consciousness of social injustice and inequality by introducing the learner to a critical perspective of power, relationships and knowledge for the purpose of advocacy and social justice.
• Reflects a facilitator’s orientation to learners, role of the teacher, learning and education. There is recognition that a facilitator’s values must be made explicit through actions and that a facilitator’s actions must be challenged when there is lack of congruency to this statement of philosophy.
• Informed by evaluation of reaction to learning, knowledge and performance indicators, as well as program outcomes and return on investment.

EDUCATION

• Is iterative and grounded in reflective practice.
• Has a symbiotic relationship with practice where:
  • education is informed by practice needs
  • education improves clinical practice
  • clinical practice improves learning
  • educational outcomes improve when supported and valued by practice
  • symbiotic relationships between practice and learning improve educational outcomes and close the theory-practice gap
• Is designed to meet competency requirements, and for most of our programs, is framed within a formal competency-based education program, placing learners at the centre of the learning process
• May be formal or informal, is flexible and utilizes technologies to take advantage of innovations in learning to support learner engagement and success
• Provides an opportunity for continued learning and growth through timely and proactive strategies that provide optimal support for learners, i.e., clinical leadership partnership, coaching, socialization, and clinical mentorship
• Incorporates leading evidence to expand the theoretical and clinical basis of practice
• Supports and facilitates attainment of goals, through monitoring and reporting
• Utilizes evaluation data and emerging evidence to inform program changes, and be responsive to trends in education needs across the health system
• Is essential to maintain personal and professional competency.