Got any advice for new adjunct instructor?

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

I picked up a side gig as a clinical instructor. It starts tomorrow.

I feel a little overwhelmed. It's not directly my area of expertise, but something that I deal with indirectly all day every day. The course lead has been teaching the classroom portion for years, so that's good.

This opportunity presented itself at the last minute, so I'm not sure I even know what questions to ask.

Any advice from seasoned adjunct faculty?

[busymsybee96]

I would be interested in learning more too! I just started as an adjunct instructor and would love advice. I med with my students last week, but this week we start on the floor.

[JBudd, MSN]

My hardest thing was keeping track of 8 students in 8 rooms. I hung out at the desk, trying to watch where they were. Asked, okay what are you doing now and why, and followed them in. New level I's, often I was demo-ing things, or assisting. If you are making the assignments, putting 2 students with 2 patients in the same room lets you watch both....

I wore a lab coat, (why you may ask?) so I would have big pockets to put my hands in, stopping myself from always doing it "so you can see how" and actually let the students practice, lol.

Also asked the charge nurse to let us know if there were procedures we could volunteer for or watch.

Keep your students from using the computers too much when the staff nurses need to chart, etc. That is one of the biggest complaints/feedback that I see on AN, that students don't understand the need to keep out of the way. Students stand in the break room during report, staff get the chairs (simple courtesy). If report is at bedside, make sure the student finds the right nurse in time, they won't wait for a student to catch up. If a student is doing meds that day, start early enough that you get to do all the quizzing first, and be aware that it takes a student 3 times as long to pass a pill as the staff; you don't want the nurse to get impatient because all "her" meds are going to be late.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

Thanks, JBudd! I will keep these in mind. We had lab the first day and then orientation is the second clinical day. These are third semester students and they seem like a strong group, which is good. I have toured the site but have otherwise never been there, so I don't know the staff at all.

Staying positive though!

[JBudd, MSN]

so, how's it going?

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

so, how's it going?

Thanks for asking!

I had my students at the site for the first time yesterday. It went really well! It was really our orientation day, getting oriented to the site and to behavioral health and addictions nursing, like one big pre-conference really.

I was happily surprised, we went over the admissions form at length and we had a great discussion about the difference between nursing judgment ("this person has poor hygiene" and what that tells you about their mental state and functioning level) and being judgmental ("this person is bad because they have poor hygiene/schizophrenia/ETOH dependence").

Certainly a challenge! But fun! Way too much administrative paperwork though.

How about you, busymsybee96?