Application of Howard Gardner’s List of Multiple Intelligence in Mentoring Nurses

Answer

Application of Howard Gardner’s List of Multiple Intelligence in Mentoring Nurses

            The aim of this essay is to discuss how Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligence can be used to mentor experienced and novice nurses. Nurses are expected to have an ability to make clinical judgments and think in a critical manner. Experienced nurses are essential in building critical reflective skills and clinical judgment skills in new entry nurses through use of Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences in mentoring and couching (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). A mentor ought to be flexible to understand the learning needs of a novice nurse and apply different approaches of teaching to better align new nurses’ various ways of solving problems.

            Development of a good understanding of Multiple Intelligence is important and useful. One can appreciate the fact that human potential is closely tied with learning preferences of an individual. In this case, nursing and care is one of the learning preferences in which both experienced and novice nurses are motivated to master nursing knowledge and skills. Learning and teaching approaches ought to be unique and personalized since theory of Multiple Intelligence considers that different individuals have unique blend/combination of skills and capabilities (intelligences).   The model is also important in understanding different personalities and people’s affinity to develop one or more types of personalities. Thus, it should be understood that people have unique set of strengths and intelligences (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015).

            Some of the types of intelligences in the Gardner’s list of Multiple Intelligence include verbal-linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, and interpersonal intelligence.  Verbal-linguistic intelligence involves well-developed verbal skills as well as high sensitivity to rhythms of words, sounds and meanings (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). In nursing practice I use this skill to ensure that I have actively listened to my patients or colleagues and to confirm that they have too understood me well enough. Logical-mathematical intelligence involves an ability to think in a conceptual manner and abstractly, as well as the capacity to recognize logical and numerical patterns (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). For example, I often use this skill to monitor and evaluate progress of treatment in my patients by taking and recording of vital signs on a daily basis or hours. Bodily-visual intelligence is an ability to have control over the movement of one’s body as well as to handle objects in a skillful manner (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). This skill is useful for me when conducting fine procedures such as placing of catheters and injecting drugs. Lastly, but not the least, interpersonal intelligence is the capacity to detect, discern and respond in appropriate manner to the motivations, moods, and desire of others (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). In practice, I often use this skills to promote team effectiveness and in building functional relationships with patients and their families.

            The use of Multiple Intelligence in mentoring nurses has both positive and negative impacts. Some of the positive impacts in mentoring experienced nurses include helping nurses to identify advanced practice area to pursue in further studies and to be able to identify areas of weakness that need improvement. For example, an experienced nurse may use the model to identify learning needs with respect to use of technology in care to promote personal and professional development. Positive impacts among novice nurses include helping them easily adapt to practice environments and gain fundamental practical experience in clinical settings (Zhou & Brown, 2015). For example, a novice nurse can use interpersonal intelligence to engage their mentors, which may be experienced or advanced practice Registered Nurses to facilitate their transition into practice. Another positive impact is that the model is useful in developing an emotionally intelligent nursing workforce that can effectively meet emotional and socioeconomic needs of patients and their families (Codier & Codier, 2015). The negative impact of the concept of Multiple Intelligence is application of the concept in selection and hiring of new nurses as well as in promotion of nurse leaders may lead to discrimination since other qualified nurses who do not possess certain level of required intelligences will feel discriminated against and hence demotivated (Parvari et al., 2017).

            The mentoring and/or learning process can be improved using the concept of Multiple Intelligence. Mentoring and/or learning process can be improved through development of an understanding that different nurses have different mentoring or learning preferences as well as different abilities. Therefore, mentoring and/or learning process ought to be person-centered for realization of better outcomes. Besides, the mentoring or learning approaches should focus on an individual’s dominant intelligences to transform nurses to be more productive and effective in their clinical or nursing areas (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015).