Teaching nursing students is both challenging and rewarding. If you ever wondered whether you are cut out for teaching, this article gives a comprehensive overview of how one nurse approached becoming an educator by tutoring students. You'll learn how easy it is to carry the torch to the next generation of nurses by becoming a tutor.
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I recently decided to continue my education with an RN-MSN bridge program, and my enrollment advisor asked me if I wanted to pursue nursing education or an administration and management track. It was a tough decision, but as soon as I tutored my first student, I was convinced teaching was for me! I actually tutor from the comfort of my home by tutoring online.
The truth is, any nurse can do this. The tutoring interfaces are very easy to use. I just plug in my headset and enter into the interactive room, sort of like a chat room. There's a white board, but we don't really use it, we just talk.
I spend the majority of the time reviewing approaches. I ask students to tell me all about their challenges, what resources they're using, and how they're currently studying/preparing, and then I help them create an individualized plan to approaching the material. Sometimes they're just not committing themselves to the material. I can relate; I was this way also when I was a student! In that case, we break down their obstacles (or excuses) and revamp their schedule, and then I tell them to text me every day after they study to hold them accountable. If they have had many failures or serious life situations, I talk about how discouraging that can be, build up their self esteem, and then give them links to motivational videos.
Most students think that preparing for the boards is all about cramming, when it's really all about answering hundreds of practice questions. Learning how to approach questions is critical. I teach students about the Kaplan decision tree and how to triage after disaster; how to prioritize patients and which patients are appropriate to delegate to other nurses, LPNs, or CNAs; and, how to use ABCs and Maslow's hierarchy of needs - but I remind them that, while nursing school may have drilled in the physical and safety needs, they have to be able to recognize normal. If a patient is physically well and safety needs are met, it's okay to pick the caring response. Finally, we talk about second-guessing. Some people are good second-guessers, but the only way to know is to start keeping track of how many are right vs. how many are wrong during practice tests and then over time they can see a pattern. Then they'll be more confident about either going with their gut or listening to their shoulder angels.
For reviewing specific content, I reference a lot of resources for lessons, including my old nursing school notes, notecards, and textbooks, and I also pull questions and material from several NCLEX prep books. If a student asks me about a topic that I can't confidently respond to it, I look it up. Talk about keeping things fresh! As nurses, we're committed to a lifetime of learning, and I love that this role allows me to solidify and expand my personal knowledge. I can also put this on my resume. This is great practice for me as a future nurse educator. It's super convenient for me because I schedule lessons from 8-10pm, after my two little boys go to bed, and I can (and do!) tutor in my pajamas. Lastly, let me tell you about the first time I got feedback from a student. It was the most heartwarming feeling. Knowing that I made a difference for a student is truly rewarding.
Now I know I gave away all my secrets here, but I'm really just trying to convince you that this is the easiest job in the world. I'm really passionate about swelling the ranks of tutors because I think if there were more of me, then maybe nursing students wouldn't feel so lost and overwhelmed! I remember exactly what that felt like - you go through all the challenges of nursing school and then there's this beast (the NCLEX) standing between you and the rest of your life. Teaching students how to crush that test is something I think we can all appreciate having been there ourselves. So... are you up for the challenge? Give tutoring a try and see if it's for you!
