Help..teaching med-Surg

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I will be teaching med-Surg for the first time for a BSN program. I've only done lab classes before. Scared for how to fill a 3 hour class with lecture. Also typical fears of what if they ask me a question I don't know. How do I make things interesting and fun and not just lecture from ppts? Do most of you memorize your lectures? How do not depend on my ppts?

I am having the same issue- I guess the faculty will provide u with the syllabus and instructor manual with pre assigned content and questions?

when u have the answer let me know!!

I have the previous syllabus. I can view the slides from the previous instructor--which are way to ICU detailed and I have slides from textbook author. I am trying to view this as I want to make the class my own (not just lecture from author slides), and I want to make it REAL. To me Med-Surg is the management of med-surg patient--you don't need to know absolutely everything about every condition, but enough to understand what is affected by the patient, what to watch out for, what should be expected and unexpected outcomes. I am trying to look into using case studies as a way to understand and reinforce learning and will try to make these up based on my own experiences as a nurse.

Any other leads or suggestions?

Can you get PowerPoints / lecture notes from other instructors in the program? For better or worse, students these days expect PowerPoints for everything! I like to mix in case studies (are there good case study books that are used in your program?).

Unfortunately no. I asked another prof and I was to make my own! Kinda last minute and the topics are VAST. There is no case studies book :(

Investigate the teaching resources that you have access to with the required text book for the class. Most texts are accompanied with some good teaching resources. When I lecture, I try to speak for about 10-15 minutes, and then break up the learning with either an application level multiple choice question, class poll question, or small group work (2-3 students) to quickly discuss a critical thinking question and come up with an answer. Not everyone can share, but I will pick out one or two groups/individuals to share answers (depending on the acitivty). Of all of the different activities I have incorporated to mix up lecture time, students usually always love the multiple choice questions that are embedded within class time. Please know that you don't "have" to have an answer to every question you are asked. We are human, nursing is a profession that is constantly changing, and we just might not have all the answers. : ) Sometimes I will open the question up to the class (if I feel confident in my answer), will sometimes promise to readdress via email outside of class (especially if I want to look it up further before responding or if I don't want to spend classtime on the topic), or if the question is solely out of curiousity, I will then ask the student to look it up and post the answer for the class. Sometimes students will follow through and post responses and other times, they don't respond. Good luck...you got this!!! : )

Thank u for your response- do u mean the multiple choice questions from the case studies? They are to complete them before coming to class. Do you think I should go over each one? Or just lecture from slides I would make.

Specializes in Tele, Stepdown, Med/Surg, education.

I agree, you will not be able to answer every question or even know why the student needs to know. Do not be agree to say, I'll address this next class meeting. For your first go around KISS keep it simple, it will be challenging enough just being on stage. I have been teaching MS for 3 years and am just now maybe 6 months ago start feeling completely comfortable. For 25 dollars Delmar has a great book of case studies and answers.

I start off with a general question ...does anyone know someone with--- I usually do this to see what the beginning knowledge base is.

introduction, patho, s/s, diagnoses, tx and nursing interventions, common nursing dx.

and I ask alot of questions, because I expect them to have read. lol

Good luck and don't be hard on yourself. READ THE TEXT

Delmar? I will check it out! Thanks for the outline!

We have been using Evolve's HESI Case Studies in our classes. I think they have been quite helpful. We are usually assigned them before we come to class and we can keep retaking them until we get a 100.

Specializes in Oncology.

As a nursing student, I *love* when out professors give us case studies and make the class interactive ("what do you know about tx for x disease etc).

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