New Clinical Instructor

First get the syllabus so you can tailor clinical assignments to what the students are learning.

Review the scope of LPNs in your state. Set the ground rules the first clinical.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the world of nursing instructors! It's scary, its fun, and it's mostly a roller coaster. First word of advice: Get a mentor! Find someone who can tell you how things work at your institution. Go to all the clincial units prior to taking students, introduce yourself, perhaps work a day on that unit so you will know the nurses, staff, and the unit procedures. You will be taking textbooks home to review for class the next day. Don't ever go into class thinking you can "wing it." That is a recipe for disaster. Always be enthusiastic about what you are teaching about and your students will be excited also. Be creative, be fun, be real, be honest, be ethical. Always remember who owns the problem, and don't take on too much. Tell your students to be proud to be an LPN! Don't feel sorry for a student and pass them. Help them by having them repeat the course. Be yourself and have fun. Know the scope of practice for LPN's in your state. Good luck!

Thanks for the advise BigBad. So that is what they really think of us...LOL

This is my first year teaching. I started with clinical lab in an ADN program 2 weeks ago. We have one more lab before we hit the floor. It is interesting getting to know each student. I can see who my leaders are already. I have a couple who are going to need a bit of encouragement and sometimes a little push. I'll keep an eye on this board for more advise. I have a mentor at the college and a resource contact at the hospital, both have been very supportive.

My first question is are you teaching medsurg or are you teaching fundamentals? What you need to do will differ somewhat. On your first day of med pass, give each clinical student only ONE patient to pass meds on. That way, you can pull and go with the student to see how they handle the meds. I always make sure they have their vital signs with them when they come to pull. I always ask them what the parameters are for holding things like antihypertensives. And I always ask them WHEN are they going to take the apical before giving dig. I also take the opportunity as we go through them to give them extra information they may need. Also, make sure the student knows whether or not there are any swallowing precautions. Finally, take one or two clinical days and don't do med pass. Have them do nothing but treatments. This will help them with wound care.