This paper will review the characteristics of a teaching program for a critical care department in a local community hospital. This will include a review of teaching strategies that focus on the adult learner based on their development stage. .

             Overview of Program.

             A teaching program for the critical care department would entail small group and student-centered teaching strategies that focus on communication enhancement and core skill competency development among learners. This teaching approach emphasizes more autonomy in the clinical care setting and encourages the teacher to consider learner characteristics among clinical and professional workers. The educational program described will be offered in hospital and other generic health care organizations where proactive team building skills and communication skills development are necessary to ensure a multi-disciplinary approach to learning and care giving. The teaching program provided will include a team approach to healthcare education encouraging participants to learn and adopt strategies for conversing and communicating with diverse populations including other professionals, students, clinical workers, patients, families and community members. .

             Teaching Program for Critical Care Department Foundation.

             Learner characteristics for employees in a critical care work setting are unique. Adult learners generally have specific characteristics that require use of effective strategies for learning and teaching the adult learner (Huttly, Sweet & Taylor, 2003). Studies suggest that multiple approaches may be more effective for helping critical care staff develop, including a "team healthcare approach" which educators can adopt and simulate in an educational setting "through interprofessional education and vertical integration of student years" (Huttly, Sweet & Taylor, p. 5). .

             Teaching strategies must be based on learner characteristics and the place of employment students intend to pursue their career to be successful.