New Educator

londonflo · Jan 1

I want to help but need more information. Are you teaching in high school, college, at a hospital, or another location? Are you teaching CNA,LPN or RN? Profit or non profit?

MoLo · Jan 1

Thank you!

Baccalaureate RN program at a college.

organichombre, ADN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Jan 13

First off MoLo, welcome to the adventure! Remember this; you may be an expert in your area of nursing but now that you have chosen to teach students; you are again a novice! Many of the rules have changed and you must adapt. Demand and give respect, hold them to a higher standard, listen to what they are saying and above all, develop and cultivate relationships with the staff where you will have students. Good luck and enjoy the money!

londonflo · Jan 13

Hope I don't overwhelm You. I taught for over 40 years....diploma, BSN and ADN.

that being said.... in my 40th year it still took me at least 6 hours to develop a good ONE hour lecture (using 3 (three) sources). The textbook companies provide power points but those are just a regurgitation of the textbook. You may think those are great BUT ADAPT them to your course content/lecture with statistics in your public health area, big cities near you and your state. Make it personalized (I know NCLEX doesn't differentiate cities/states/part of the country but your students do. There are many ways to add to your lecture like "clickers", Power point games....look those up (takes 1-2 hours to do but lasts for years...put in one or two of your test questions to be incentive.), Do a worksheet - keep it updated.

I just want to add the first year is the MOST time consuming and difficult. I put up a big calendar on the wall in my kitchen. "I added the hours I would be developing lecture, grading papers etc I added "This is the game plan.....life will be better after this. I am striving to develop a better life for us. '' It worked!

But I worked with several professors who took shortcuts....they asked for power points I had made before. Let students off early from clinical when the "students promised to NOT tell any one." "let students sit in a conference room with snacks, playing music, completing care plans, never around whe their patient(s) called for something". They were all dismissed.

Oh well, make ever hour worth something to the students. In lecture keep them engaged for 20 to 30 minutes more on their own time. In clinical develop a case study for one of the student's patient's .

If I had to do it over again, I would do the same thing twice. Seeing learning happen is spectacular.

PS. I live now in a state capital city where I taught my last 15 years.. I have had multiple hospitalizations. I never made a lot of money teaching. But there is nothing better to see an RN who appreciates your time spent being a positive influence in their education. Last year my husband was in a 'prompt' care. The first RN recognized me, another came in saying "not violating HIPPA but someone asked me to bring this into your room", the 3rd said " I came in to start the IV as I am the best stick". All were profuse in what I had meant to them and their job performance and career. My husband was kind of out of it but said " I can see why you were so dedicated to your job".

MoLo · Jan 14

Londonflo,

Thank you for this detailed response! I am going to take notes on your suggestions, and start building my how-to. I haven't had access to the syllabus yet, but will work on developing a class plan for every hour. Thank goodness I am starting with just one course - I think this will be big!

londonflo · Jan 14

Thank you for your response. You will never get rich teaching but it will be big! You will negotiate your calendar, feel a great satisfaction for a job well done....and know you have contributed to your community....that is priceless!

Lori Liedel · Oct 18

Hi my name is Lori, I am an ADN. I have been a nurse since 1995, I have worked the proverbial 1 year of med/surg in the hospital setting way back then. Through out the rest of my career I have working much of it in the homecare/hospice setting, and in the perioperative setting in PreOP and PACU. A year ago after needing a break from the heaviness of hospice work, I accepted a position at a small surgical hospital as the Nurse Educator. Ours is a Bariatric Specialty Hospital; we are JACHO certified. For this first year I have utilized the education programs that were already in place at my facility to educate staff. My supervisor has asked me to be compiling my own information and making sure we stay compliant with the Joint Commission standards and incorporate evidence-based material. I lack the confidence to do this. I know that my supervisor has the confidence in me. I do not wish to further my education at this point in my career. I desire to do my job effectively. Please offer any suggestions for staying current with presenting the necessary education to the healthcare team.