Essential Qualities for Surviving and Thriving as a Nurse Educator
Nursing education is a harmonious blend of two nurturing and caring professions: nursing and teaching. As such, it offers the best of both worlds. It is a pivotal position in that nurse educators have the unique opportunity and wondrous privilege to shape future generations of nurses and impact care of countless patients downstream.
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Nursing education, especially in academia, is also a very stressful occupation due to the tremendous weight of responsibility. The workload can seem interminable and exhausting, especially during the first year or two of teaching.
Novice nurse faculty can flounder under a crushing weight of minutiae and bureaucracy, such as unreasonable demands from administration, ever-increasing clinical facility site requirements, shared governance duties (i.E., meetings, committees, and professional organizations), grading mountains of student papers, and the overwhelming rigors of writing lectures, test items, and study guides.
It is a very difficult adjustment. Learning to balance everything is essential. It can take three years or longer for a novice educator to find his or her unique rhythm and to develop the multifaceted skills necessary to confidently and successfully fill the role. The burnout rate is high due to the inordinate stress, lack of support and effective mentoring, and the bewildering and overwhelming demands of teaching.
Despite the challenges, the rewards of teaching are many. It is immensely satisfying witnessing the "light bulb" moments and helping fledgling students mature into competent nursing graduates.
So what does it take to be successful in this wonderful nursing specialty area?
I believe the following qualities are necessary not only to survive, but also to thrive as a nurse educator
Thick-skinned
The successful nurse educator must be able to take criticism and be willing to learn from every experience, no matter how painful. Every teacher makes mistakes. So, dust yourself off, learn from the mistakes, and grow.
Hardiness
This is the ability to persevere and endure under hardship. This essential quality makes the instructor more resistant to stressful situations, resilient, and better able to develop adaptive coping behaviors.
Organizational skills
Being organized takes a lot of work up front that pays enormous dividends later, as the semester unfolds. It can make the difference between a chaotic teaching experience and a satisfying one. Students especially value this quality in teachers.
Enthusiasm
The effective educator must cultivate a genuine life-long love of learning. This contagious attitude will permeate everything he or she does in the teaching arena.
Creativity
Doing "old things" in new ways adds spice, energy, and novelty to teaching. Creativity is the cure for old drab routines, which have no place in today's learning environments.
Sensitivity to others' needs
A successful teacher is empathetic, compassionate, and genuinely caring.
Enjoy interacting with students
Take the time to smile, laugh, and savor the magic moments of teaching!
References
Lambert, c., & lambert, v. A. (1993). Relationships among faculty practice involvement, perception of role stress, and psychological hardiness of nurse educators. Journal of nursing education, 32(4), 171-179.
