what kind of clinical instructor you desired in your school

[UNITEDRN]

I am trying to figure out what kind of clinical instructor we wanted in school. While some shared numerous stories some just wanted us to be patient tech and over over hyper about meds.

I believe these days many years of experience doesn't count as much as how any instructor handles the diverse group of students.

[Melissa0181]

My two favorite instructors were the toughest instructors. They each had over 15 years of nursing experience and did not accept incomplete work or sloppy work. It was because of their hard questions that I would spend 6+ hours on my care plans looking up EVERY medication and abnormal lab value so that during my report I could accurately identify actual and potential problems and appropriate interventions. They elevated patient care and personal accountability to a whole new level. If they weren't so hard I would have skated by on minimal work like I was able to do in most classes. There were many times that I second guessed my ability to become a nurse since their classes and clinicals were so dang difficult, but at the end of the day I passed all my classes and became a RN. Most importantly I picked up a couple life lessons - mainly about time management, work ethic, and improved self esteem. So my ideal instructor is someone with a passion for nursing who has a solid background in the field, someone that demonstrates the importance of evidence based practice, and someone that isn't fazzled by upset nursing students complaining about how tough and time consuming care plans are. I also had a few easy instructors in nursing school but the truth is I didn't learn half as much from them as I did from the tough instructors. :)