Learner characteristics often influence learner readiness to learn. There are many learner characteristics of employees working in a critical care work setting. Learner characteristics are often multi faceted and include personal, environmental and situational characteristics that may impact one's ability to succeed in a learning environment. It is important that teaching strategies consider adult learner characteristics that may influence the learner's ability in the critical care setting specifically as this environment presents unique challenges to learners. Understanding of developmental stages is also vital to the learning process among critical care workers. This paper will discuss learner characteristics and learner readiness to learn in the critical care environment

Central to adequate learning and teaching is an adequate understanding of the way some students learn and the characteristics associated with successful learners. Undoubtedly learners display various styles or characteristics of learning in the clinical care setting. It is vital that instructors consider an approach to learning that accommodates the characteristics of the learn

The medical employee working in a critical care environment will face many situational characteristics one must consider when developing a learning program targeted to this population in particular. These may include increased stressors and the need for programs that adapt to the experience level of varying workers in this diverse and often fast paced environment. In this case it may be beneficial for an educational program to focus on the learner's personal and experiential characteristics to develop an appropriate learning model.

Readiness to learn may also be influenced by various factors including stress, time pressure, the context in which learning occurs, the level of interpersonal relationships the learner has with teachers and even fatigue or health pressures (Burns, 2002). Considering such conditions teaching strategies must target individual learning styles and contexts, working to help improve self-esteem among students and help facilitate more positive experiences within the learning environment (Burns, 2002).

Developmental stage is also vital to the learning process for adult learners and learners in critical care work settings. Developmental stage approaches suggest that adult learners exude certain learning characteristics that are similar or analogous to their life experiences (Cross, 1981). Using this model one must consider the learner's personal attributes or characteristics as well as situational characteristics that may impair or facilitate learning (Cross, 1981). These characteristics may include a person's physical or life developmental stages and personal characteristics. Biological characteristics including one's age may impact ones ability for example to learn effectively in the clas

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