Clinical Nurses

Do you have experience in nursing in the specialty where you might be teaching? Are you just recently graduated from nursing school? If the latter is true, being a clinical teacher is not for you--you need experience to do that. Be very careful about accepting such a job. Some schools, it seems, hire anyone with a license, and put them in very difficult situations.

I am an experienced professional. Thank-you for the advise.

I have a passion for nursing...the niche has changed periodically.

You can't know if this is a new area of interest for you until you try it.

If you are going to be a clinical on-site instructor you need to go in all guns.

You need to be there to be strong for your students and whatever insecurities you may have you gotta keep them buried. The nurses on the floors will judge your ability to handle the student med pass. This is such a huge issue, and it seems that it creates such ill will for the students on the floor if the instructor fails to jump into the medpass. Arrive very early so you can get organized with the RNs and the patients. Go in to patients and introduce yourself, and ask permission to bring students! Glance at their charts, know what is going on with them so you can supervise your students with confidence. Talk with nurses about floor specific skills/protocol. Find where things are.

I say this in comparing instructors who just didn't cut it with those that did. Those that did the above were welcomed on the floor with their flock of students, those who didn't were not.

I'm just curious about how someone who dislikes bedside nursing plans to teach bedside nursing? When I was in school my best teachers were those who had both the experience and passion for their specialty. And all of those intructors had the power to convey their love of bedside nursing with fervor. What's your plan for overcoming your dislike of bedside nursing while coaching nursing students?

You're going to have to be a good actor and pretend you like clinicals.

Your students will pick up on your distaste for bedside.

WOW folks- the feedback is a little harsh. There are a lot of days when I hate bedside care and wish I could spend my days guiding the up and comming nurses of tomorow. That dosen't mean I'm a sub-par caregiver of I have some deficiency that should bar me from teaching. Teaching has always been a part of the job I love best - I wish I could make a living as an instructor. DESTINY- I say go for it!!! If you enjoy teaching what have you got to loose- and if you find it isn't your "niche" it looks great on a resume'.

I don't think it's harsh, but brutally honest. I know you need employment... BUT the students need an instructor with experience, so do the patients. Not just in skills, you can learn those quickly, but clinical decision making, dealing with doctors... there is just so much that is learned in the first few years that they will need you to have experienced. Our instructor credentials were posted in each semesters manuals that they taught. I would have thrown a fit if I'm paying money for someone to teach me cardiac or med surg or OB that has never done it.

This is in no way meant to be harsh, simply honest.

I agree 'somewhat' with the PPs... however, as an educator I would also like to point out that this type of role requires competency in the discipline of education. I should be used to it, but I still get a bit peeved with the general attitude that anyone can just slip into an educator role without any preparation.

I have been around long enough to remember the 'old days' when floor nurses were dragged (slumped on their rolling chairs) into either QA or Education when they got too pooped/burned out to continue to function as a bedside nurse. That just doesn't work any more. Education competency is absolutely critical - in addition to old fashioned "stand up" training, we need to be able to analyze needs and utilize all different types of instructional design to effectively achieve learner outcomes. Many of us have also had to become software developers to produce and manage online learning. And - as the PPs pointed out - we have to be knowledgeable about the areas in which we are teaching.

Although nurse educators - along with MSNs in administration - are not recognized as having an "advanced practice" -- I hope I live long enough to see us getting a bit more respect . Maybe we need some bumper stickers.... "If you can titrate that drip, thank a nurse educator". Nah, not catchy enough. I need to give it some more thought.