I Heard Your Student Placed a Feeding Tube! Teaching Tips For Educators and Preceptors

The 2022 ACEND Standards require students to explain the steps of feeding tube placement, observe placement and if able, assist in the placement of a tube. Educators may struggle to know where to begin in meeting this requirement. For preceptors, knowing what is taught in the classroom prior to students entering the clinical setting is valuable.

This session reviews what to include in a nutrition and dietetics curriculum to begin training students on the steps of feeding tube placement. The contents of this session can be used for any educational setting regardless of access to a simulation lab. Clinical preceptors can utilize the steps detailed in this session to continue education and training with students. The session describes an enteral nutrition simulation workshop designed for graduate-level nutrition and dietetics students to promote skill development for the placement of feeding tubes and to reinforce concepts of enteral nutrition.

The workshop incorporates simulation and active learning techniques to cover areas of practice including placement of feeding tubes, care of a patient with a nasogastric and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, patient education on enteral nutrition, and exploration of necessary equipment for administering enteral nutrition and hydration.

CPE Level: Level 2 (intermediate knowledge/experience)
CPEU: 1.0

Performance Indicators

• 8.2.1 Engages in educational activities to maintain knowledge and to obtain new knowledge of diseases and clinical conditions.
• 9.2.1 Evaluates learning needs of individuals and target groups.
• 9.3.2 Develops a variety of learning activities based on a plan of action and the needs of individuals, groups, communities and populations.

Learning Objectives

• Describe content for dietetics educators that prepares students to become competent in the steps involved in the placement of nasogastric or nasoenteric feeding tubes.
• Explain methods of assessment used to evaluate student skills for nasogastric feeding tube placement and concepts of enteral nutrition.
• Describe an interactive enteral nutrition workshop using simulation and active learning to improve enteral nutrition knowledge and skills.

Moderator

• Deborah Cohen

Speakers

• Jennifer Bridenbaugh
• Jennifer Tomesko