Sosiaalialan ja hoitotyön asiantuntijuuden kehitysehdot ja opiskelijavalinta

Abstract

Ihmissuhdealojen opiskelijavalinnassa tulee kiinnittää huomiota ammatilliseen suuntautumiseen, tunne- ja luonnetekijöihin sekä minäkuvan realistisuuteen. Sosiaali- ja terveysalan amk-hakijoiden välillä on selviä eroja kiinnostuneisuudessa ja ammatillisen kehittymisen edellytyksissä, Pekka Kosonen havaitsi.- Yllättävän suuri osa, lähes kolmannes hakijoista, halusi aivan muualle, lähinnä yliopistoihin, opiskelemaan. Heidän kannaltaan kyse oli tilapäisratkaisusta tai ns. pakkohausta. Nämä olivat hakijajoukon nuorimpia, lukiossa erinomaisesti menestyneitä saman vuoden ylioppilaita. Lukiomenestys on huonosti toimiva valintakriteeri, mikäli halutaan valita sitoutuneita opiskelijoita hoiva-aloille, Kosonen toteaa.Pekka Kosonen tutki hoitotyön ja sosiaalialan asiantuntijuuden kehittymisen yksilöllisiä edellytyksiä ja alan ammattikorkeakoulutukseen hakevien ammatillista identiteettiä. Hän rakensi osaamista ja asiantuntijuuden kertymistä koskevan teorian, jossa korostuu intuition, empatian ja tunteiden merkitys.

This study concerns the basic criteria for selecting students for degree programmes in nursing and social services. Two topics are explored: 1. Which individual factors restrict the development of expertise in care? 2. What is the content of personal meanings involved in application for these programmes?The first topic was investigated by theoretical analysis. The theory of ecological psychology (Gibson) was used to conceptualize and account for intuition, empathy and practical knowledge. The xpert “picks up” affordances, or proper implicit and explicit information. Emotional processes set conditions for affordances.The capacity for appropriate emotions in personal interaction with clients or patients is the basis of expertise development. In selecting students, individual emotional, psychodynamic and character traits and motivation should be assessed. The second problem was studied by empirical research. Using questionnaires, data were collected from applicants for polytechnic degree programmes in nursing and social services, before (N=107) and after (N=97) the selection tests. Combined qualitative and quantitative analyses were used. About 50 % of the applicants were firmly oriented to the degree programme they applied for, and 30 % were oriented to studies elsewhere, e.g. university. The personal meanings of application were classified into types resembling the identity statuses defined by Erikson and Marcia. Most respondents (1/2) proved to be identity achieved. The group of exploration (1/10) indicated features of active moratorium. The subjects in these two identity statuses proved motionally alert and non-defensive. Closed identity (12 % of the respondents) resembles foreclosure-type. Non-profiled identity (4 %) is close to identity diffusion.These two groups are characterized as defensive. High school marks do not serve as very relevant criteria for student selection, because they have a mostly negative correlation with commitment to nursing and social care.