Tips for New Nurse Educators

I am a new nursing instructor, but was in Staff Dev. for a number of years. I am also working on a project for my MSN and thought you might have some ideas.
I appreciated your suggestions for the new educator. I will be looking for other resources to get me going.
I have served as a clinical instructor off and on over my 30 years of nursing, and recognize that every nurse cannot be a teacher. My MSN project will be something to do with preparing nurses to be clincial instructors. I can't quite get my mind around specifics related to that. Do you have any ideas? What have you seen, for example, that would help nurses make the transition to clinical instructors?
thanks. I appreciate your ideas.
Sewgold10

How about if I give you what has NOT worked as I try to learn the job of clinical instructor (I am just finishing my second semester)?

- Don't just cut them loose and say, "Each clinical instructor does his or her own thing, as long as he/she meets the objectives."

- Don't dump a fat paper manual (four of them in my case) on the floor and say, "It's all in there." Which, by the way, it wasn't.

- Don't assume that questions and suggestions from the new people mean they are trying to change the staus quo. I'm just trying to find stuff out.

- Don't say that all the clincial instructors have to use the same this that or the other, then not provide instruction on how to use the tool.

One thing that has worked is the excellent support and patience from my boss, who is a Godsend.

Some things I am going to try next semester -

Stagger the big paperwork assignments so I don't get buried in grading at the end of the semester. And cut back on weeklies.

Break big projects into pieces and insist the students turn them in so I can catch mistakes early enough to correct them.

Give examples for the students to look at, not just the grading criteria.

Be MUCH stricter about writing up unsatisfactory clinical performance. Write it down every time I take one aside to talk to him/her, no matter how informally. The students must know they are in trouble by midterm, then again at the 3/4 mark. That way they can fail at the end of the semster and it's not such a shock.

Use more checklists.

Warn the students once, then enforce the rules, even on those who weren't listening.


Just a few of my hard-learned lessons. What we need is a really useable book with ideas and charts and exmples and pictures in it!

:> Hutchy

I have something to say on that topic. The requirements are set by the Nurse Practice Act, state by state. I have a BSN, a Master's in Education, and a Doctorate and I'm being forced back into grad school so I can teach nursing students. This is madness. If they want more nurses, they should think outside the box for nursing instructor credentialing.

I wanted to recommend a text ISBN 13: 9780803614024, Career Success Strategies for Nurse Educators. It is a superb discussion of the faculty member's role in academia. One of those books that you read and wish you had when you began your new faculty role; but it can help at any stage of role development.

Enjoy,

Barbara

Your message meant alot to me. New teacher and the students are brutal. They have decided that they should not have to take a geriatric class because they already had this info in pathophys. How do you get their attention. I called on one student and he accussed me of trying to embarass him?

I have accepted my first faculty position with ASN program and will start in the fall. I have been doing clinical instruction for the school and now taking it to the classroom. I am very excited but nervous at the same time.
Do any of you have any good internet sites or know of any good books that would get me started??
How do you decide what types of activites for students to do and how to weigh them for a grade?? I have ton more questions, by the way. Ha Ha
I have been assigned a mentor so looking forward to that.
Any tips would be great

Thanks for the tip- I am at midterm in my first clinical teaching quarter, and will definitely be buying this book.

Greeetings to all!
I am new to posting but not new to this site. I am not sure my questions belong in this thread so forgive me if not. I have a couple of questions.
How much psych do any of you teach in a PN program and what kind of clinical psych experience do your students get.? How about cardiac and maternal/child in the PN program 1 credit- 2 credits?
I also teach in the AD-RN program and I think we are to heavy in critical care when just the basics should be covered. We do have a " lab for the ADN students where we do case studies and other learning activities that tie in with the theory to give them that extra pratice at critical thinking. What are your thoughts on these quesitons. Thanks so much. I think we need to somehow streamline our programs but with such little time it is hard to know what to cut down on if anything.
Any advice on your curriculums would be appreciated.
This will be a great resource for me and I am very appreciative!

Get the instructors manuals ( resources) for the text books you are using- they have all kinds of student activities as well as other goodies that should help you. For grading, our assignments are usually about 15% of the grade depends on the instructor though the exams carry the most weight. You will do a great job- just keep asking quesitons.