Clinical Instructors and lecturers with no hospital experience?

[Libby_09]

With the rapid increase in Nursing students in the last few years, schools are forced to hire clinical instructors (CI's) and lecturers even though they have zero work experience. While a lot of them are likely very competent and versed in Nursing theory, I can't help but wonder if ill-prepared lecturers are part of the reason why Nursing in our country has deteriorated.

The salary is part of the allure while a lot of nurses, especially newly licensed ones, want to be a CI. In our economy right now, 20,000 - 40,000 pesos is a big amount but unless they want to be a CI forever, these new CI's are doing a disservice to their career buy not looking for work in a hospital. What's the hospital employment prospects of someone who graduated say, 5-10 years ago and has worked as a CI since then? Probably no better than someone who just earned their RN.

[suzanne4, RN]

There is no other country that permits this. This is why you hear so many of us complaining about this.

As long as your government permits it, then there are going to be problems. If they cannot get properly trained instructors, then the school should not be permitted to remain open.

It is that simple. Or they have to do it my way and require that the owners of these programs be required to be treated by their clinical instructors as the nurse or have their loved ones do so. If this became a requirement, then you would see things change very fast.

[NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN]

The government should really sit down and ask themselves why do these clinical instructors don't have any experience. Could it be because there is a surplus of nurses in their country, and no jobs available to nurses? With that, that is a red flag and they need to close some of the nursing programs and stop the reproduction of nurses.

[charmieern]

With the rapid increase in Nursing students in the last few years, schools are forced to hire clinical instructors (CI's) and lecturers even though they have zero work experience. While a lot of them are likely very competent and versed in Nursing theory, I can't help but wonder if ill-prepared lecturers are part of the reason why Nursing in our country has deteriorated.

The salary is part of the allure while a lot of nurses, especially newly licensed ones, want to be a CI. In our economy right now, 20,000 - 40,000 pesos is a big amount but unless they want to be a CI forever, these new CI's are doing a disservice to their career buy not looking for work in a hospital. What's the hospital employment prospects of someone who graduated say, 5-10 years ago and has worked as a CI since then? Probably no better than someone who just earned their RN.

I have a CI friend and he told me he took the job because our nursing school's affiliate hospital would count the hours he put into teaching as work experience. So more and more new grad RNs grab this chance and be CIs for a year or so, since it's freeze-hiring everywhere in Metro Manila. They'd then write resumes for abroad saying they had hospital experience.

The CIs are good teachers though. It'll only get problematic for them if they lose confidence in their skills coz they never practiced, if not having practiced for years back and need a refresher.

[Nurse!Nurse!Hello?]

The CIs are good teachers though. It'll only get problematic for them if they lose confidence in their skills coz they never practiced, if not having practiced for years back and need a refresher.

Nowhere else but the Philippines is it acceptable for new RN grads to work as clinical instructors.

It certainly helps to explain the below-average skill levels of a lot of the new nurses these days.

Talk about the blind leading the blind!

[milaeslehc]

[quote

The CIs are good teachers though. It'll only get problematic for them if they lose confidence in their skills coz they never practiced, if not having practiced for years back and need a refresher.

Yeah, I seconded. Just last month, our hospital employed newly hired nurses. They are in their orientation phase this time. One orientee was assigned in our floor. We assume that she already knows to care for patient with ET attached to mechanical vent since she told us that she was a former clinical instructor in one of the "popular" nursing schools here in Cebu City. To my surprise, while I was giving medications to our patient, she called me and asked me for help to do the SUCTIONING coz she said that it was her FIRST TIME to do suctioning since she wasn't able to get the chance to do it during her 2 YEARS as a clinical instructor. And not only that, maybe bacause she's somewhat shy to ask me what XANOR is for, she asked our nurse aid and asked if XANOR is a cardiac med???

[anakat_evangelista, RN]

lack of working opportunities in the hospital is also one of the reasons why CI's with no clinical experience is increasing in number. i just dont know why these schools are allowing RN's with zero experience to teach: is the sallary lower when you hire newly grads? i mean no offense, but obvoiusly the quality of education nursing students are receiving from these newly grads are limited.

we have all the rules and means to prevent this issue but still, it happens.

[NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN]

I'm sorry but I find it unacceptable to have new grads as clinical instructors...What do they have to offer the new grads?...This situtation is called "The Blind Leading The Blind"...These instructors haven't a clue what goes on in nursing except what they were taught. They have absolutely nothing to offer in the clinical sector except a warm body filling up a space in order to keep these schools running and making more money...These nursing schools are running like a factory, a mass reproduction of cookie cutter nurses...I also believe that some schools aren't like this...I know there are excellent schools in the Philippines but those schools are few and far between...Unfortunately the ones who graduate from the excellent schools are getting lumped into the factory style schools and are also taking a lot of heat regarding this.

[NurseCubanitaRN2b, BSN, RN]

Yeah, I seconded. Just last month, our hospital employed newly hired nurses. They are in their orientation phase this time. One orientee was assigned in our floor. We assume that she already knows to care for patient with ET attached to mechanical vent since she told us that she was a former clinical instructor in one of the "popular" nursing schools here in Cebu City. To my surprise, while I was giving medications to our patient, she called me and asked me for help to do the SUCTIONING coz she said that it was her FIRST TIME to do suctioning since she wasn't able to get the chance to do it during her 2 YEARS as a clinical instructor. And not only that, maybe bacause she's somewhat shy to ask me what XANOR is for, she asked our nurse aid and asked if XANOR is a cardiac med???

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh that isn't good...These are patients lives that you're dealing with...Well that doesn't suprise me because I've dealt with a patient whose nurse (low and behold she came from the Philippines) was still giving BP meds even though her trend for BP's was 90/60-low 100's/60-70's...and in the charting she states that the patient was having low BP's...and was talking about how it was raised back to an acceptable level...But nowhere in the charting did she chart her nursing interventions that she used...just that the BP was taken again and it read something like 110/78 or something like that...Sad thing is that this was happening everyday that she had this patient...I also had the same patient and she was questioning me why I was witholding a BP medication, and I told her that the BP was too low to give (106/72 or something like that) and she told me to give it to the patient because it was a routine med...My clinical instructor and I looked at each other and said if you want the med given, then you give it. But I wasn't comfortable giving the med because the BP was too low to begin with...She gave the med because it was a "routine" med...No common sence what-so-ever...Another sad thing is that she's a seasoned nurse LOL...I have no idea how long she's worked at that hospital but the Joint Commmission needs to evaluate her charting for sure. An attorney would have had a fun day with her charting.

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

I just filled in for another CI, one of the students was amazed when I asked her to look up certain clinical values, at the end of the night, she said how did you know? I knew from years of clinical experience. No, CI instructor is going to be good with no clinical experience, sorry they are only reading from a book. For this reason I know that this is a major reason Philippine students struggle with NCLEX. You have no clinical experience to refer to.

[mcnursie, LPN, LVN]

I graduated magna cum laude and did well on the board exam.

Because of this, the HR department of our school has been calling me nonstop to apply as a clinical instructor... I refused of course, knowing an effective clinical instructor is one that teaches from experience and not someone who is pumped up with theories like me.. However, its been months now and after a lot of attempts (seems like backers weigh more than credentials! ), trainings and volunteer work, im still "lost in the dark" as I would like to call it,

Now, Im beginning to wonder if I made the right decision or not...

[anakat_evangelista, RN]

i salute you mcnursie! surely, that was a difficult decision for you.. but believe me, you will reap the rewards of having clinical experience first before teaching in the future.. i myself refused an offer like yours and is also having a hard time finding work.. but i know that it will come at the right time.