New focus

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Apr 30, 2014

The best advice I can provide is -- keep in mind that your 'customer' is the Leadership of that organization. Your most important objective is to meet their needs. That may sound horrible, unless your realize that safe, high-quality patient care is the most important 'need' of the organization. "Teaching" is the fun part, but it's only the tip of the iceberg.

If an educator fails to take a strategic approach - with clear priorities, goals and objectives based upon the needs of the organization - their efforts can become muddled and fuzzy; running around trying to meet the needs of the staff. This is how educators become unemployed.

Treat the department like a business unit. Start with clear goals & objectives. Develop a plan for meeting all of the organizational needs, including all mandated training & accreditation standards. Find out how many staff hours are budgeted for education. If your plan would require 10 hours per staff member & the budget only includes 5 hours... you will need to go back to the drawing board.

Keep accurate records, including completion records/attendance at all activities. Keep track of how you spend your time. Provide your leaders with quarterly reports of what you have done; activities, attendance, compliance with mandatory training, etc. When you are asked to take on additional responsibilities, show them objective data about where you are spending your time and ask what can be eliminated to that you can take on the new project.... if you need additional resources, ask for them.

If you choose to move into education as your specialty area, you will need to seek out additional education... in the discipline of education. Joining ANPD (ANPD - Association for Nursing Professional Development) and obtaining certification is a great first step.