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| Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 21 | 
Jul 02, 2009, 02:14 PM
Updated
Jul 02, 2009 at 08:04 PM by VickyRN
 Re: Desired Characteristics of Effective Nurse Educators - “My Ideal Nursing Instruct Originally Posted by multicollinearity  To get back on track with the topic of your thread, I've said here on the board before that my top desired quality in a professor is that the professor demonstrates and communicates positive expectations for his or her students.
What I mean by this is the professor acts, speaks, and telegraphs an attitude that he or she expects and assumes achievement from students. I love it when I have an instructor who has this attitude/demeanor, etc. Students generally tend to fulfill these expectations. (Of course the opposite is true as well - when an instructor seems to have negative expectations and students meet those expectations in response.)
This is called the self-fulfilling prophecy (or Pygmalion Effect). An individual will often live up to whatever expectations that a parental-type/ authority figure (including teachers or employers) have of the person, whether good or bad.
However, this is not written in stone. People are still able to rise above the negative expectations, and, as adult-learners, should be able to do so. Current adult learning theory places the burden of education on the student, the learner. In other words, adults are ultimately held accountable for their own learning. When all is said and done, adult learners are responsible for the grades they have earned and for their own successes and failures in their program of study. The instructor is the facilitator of the learning process, the "guide on the side," rather than the "sage on the stage."
Despite the prevailing adult learning theory, the "self-fulfilling prophecy" is a captivating phenomenon that shows how complicated and multi-dimensional the learning process can actually be. The teacher's persona, interactions with, and expectations of learners can have tremendous bearings on a student's success or failure. Self-Fulfilling Prophecy What Teachers Expect They Generally Get (I noticed most of this "self-fulfilling prophecy" research involves pediatric learners. This would make a fascinating research topic for adult learners.)
 | | No. 22 |
Jul 02, 2009, 02:30 PM
Updated
Jul 02, 2009 at 03:24 PM by VickyRN
Re: Desired Characteristics of Effective Nurse Educators - “My Ideal Nursing Instruct Originally Posted by nurseynurse36 But what do you do when you try to encompass those traits and then feel that your not a respected as you want to be? The students seem to want to dictate their opinions about tests and dates for completion and cut you off when speaking. A whole lot of whineing at times. Ohhh this is so much work but you said is what I hear often. Is it that way for all nursing classes? I find that I must slip back into the traditional evil instructor in order to regain control. Each time it bothers me greatly, but I don't want the students to think that they are in control or to have them think that I am going to do their work for them.
Difficult question. It is still possible to encompass these traits, but be firm and set a respectful tone in the class. One way to do this is to address potential problems in the syllabus (for instance, no talking in class while the teacher is lecturing or cell phones turned off; no texting allowed; no disruptive behavior). Our university has a "Disruptive Student Policy" (which I go over in painstaking detail during the first class period). If a student is disrespectful to the instructor, that student can be asked to leave the classroom. All it takes is one instance of asking a student to leave, and the rest of the students will usually fall into line. So, it is possible to be authoritative, and have order and respect, and still exert a positive, caring persona.
If you notice you are having most of your problems during the test review, then change the way you conduct the test review process. One thing that we have tried successfully in our college of nursing, is to post the test with answer keys in prominent places in the classroom (during the test review) and give the students 15-20 minutes to look at the tests in groups before any questions are allowed. Only after this process is completed are students allowed to question specific items on the test, and this is done in an orderly chronological fashion. This has put an end to most of the bickering.
Hope this helps  | | No. 23 |
Jul 02, 2009, 02:35 PM
Updated
Jul 02, 2009 at 02:48 PM by VickyRN
Re: Desired Characteristics of Effective Nurse Educators - “My Ideal Nursing Instruct Originally Posted by bthsp wow vicki--where were you when i went to nursing school--which I may add I just graudated june 19th--my instructors are nothing like in what you wrote--mine degraded-demoralized--picked--laughted at you--talked about you--Iam amazed I lasted in the program,because there were plenty of times I wanted to quit..Its nice to know there are caring educators in the nursing profession
I'm sorry you had such negative experiences in nursing school. I can assure you, not all instructors are that way. Congratulations on your recent graduation and I wish you great success in the wonderful career of nursing | | No. 25 |
Jul 02, 2009, 02:47 PM
Re: Desired Characteristics of Effective Nurse Educators - “My Ideal Nursing Instruct Originally Posted by nerdtonurse? Wonderful post as usual, Vicky. The only thing I would add is one of the first things my teacher taught me in LPN school -- meet people where they are, as they are. If you've got a student who has more than basic knowledge in one area of an RN program (EMT, Paramedic, LPN, ICU tech, whatever), please, please teach to keep that person engaged.
And also realize that just because a student may have had a lot of experience in one area, they may not have that same level of experience in another; because of where I work, I can deal with cardiac problems, read strips, etc.; I have to, it's my job -- we laugh and say some weeks, we're "Codes R Us." That doesn't mean I will have the same level of experience or confidence when I do a rotation in OB/GYN -- I'm ACLS, not PALS certified. I know what normal "abnormal" values are common in a dying CHFer or COPDer, but I'm going to be sweating bullets next semester, where we do babies. My youngest patient out in the world was a 9 year old, and I hovered on that kid like a Chinook helicopter.
This is excellent advice for a clinical instructor - approach student learners on an individual basis. Find out which patients/ clinical experiences most suit the individual student. As for classroom instructors, they need to teach at the lowest common denominator and proceed from there ("line upon line, precept upon precept").
| | No. 29 |
Jul 05, 2009, 04:48 PM
Re: Desired Characteristics of Effective Nurse Educators - “My Ideal Nursing Instruct
Thank you for sharing We have a little booklet that we make for our students to use in the peds clinical areas. It is chock full of pediatric assessment facts and other pertinent data (such as codes to supply rooms and layout of the pediatric floor). And, yes, they are responsible for its content from day one. They are also instructed to always bring it to clinical, as it is an essential reference.
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I also quiz them on content, simple statements made by staff or pts, and conditions/situations. I tell them on the first day of clinical what is expected of them (along with handout) and consequences if expectations are not met/ignored...cuts down on "I didn't know" statements, nothing makes me madder/crazier than a student telling me they "didn't know" when I know that it was put on the handout and discussed the first day of clinical.
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