Nurse Educator Opinions

vickynurse · Jan 5, 2004

I also feel these frustrations. Most of my students are adults who have children with or without spouses and almost are working more than 24 hrs per week. When I put myself in their shoes, I don't know how they learn as much as they do.

That said, they seem to study enough to pass the test, but do not recall the information down the road. I suppose this comes from cramming the huge volume of material. They are all deficient in A & P. We are looking at requiring a pathophysiology text and workbook next year.

We try to include case studies with examples of patients who have more than one body system involved. This forces the students to think about previously learned material. We also have test questions from previous units on each exam just to keep them sharp.

As for the ones who don't make it, I just don't feel guilty anymore after having taught for nine years. They had ample opportunity to see me during office hours, we helped them establish a study group, we referred them to other campus resources. Pass rates must be maintained and those who fail are usually the ones who clearly don't have what it takes.

joylierin · Jan 12, 2004

Barbara

I am sitting here having my lunch at my desk and am in the middle of correcting scripts and trying to finish a paper at the same time. I have been lecturing now with almost ten years and have been where you are at.

My advice would be to:

Do not offer time after class (time given freely is not valued)

Give the class an assignment (relevent to where you want to start them off ) MCQs or short answer questions (30 mins) in class. When they are finished get them to hand their paper to another - not their friend, or else collect the papers yourself and hand them out randomly to the entire class so that each person has one - not their own. Then work through each answer, giving them an answer guide ie 5 marks for this, 10 for that etc. Get them to award a final mark to the paper they have just corrected. Ask then for a show of hands for all those who have marked a fail paper, pass, ......etc. Devise some sort of poster with the spread of marks then and display it where they can see it. Then talk them through the relevance of failing, passing and getting firsts. Do this regularly, your results will improve, as will their participation. Keep your lectures short - not 2 hours!! 30 or 40 mins at a time is plenty. Be very well prepared and make them work while you are with them, stretch them ie give some info that is at a level above them.

Above all, get them working, and give less of your time to them.

barb4575 · Jan 13, 2004

I would agree with most of what you posted other than that they don't value extra time after class....I have found that most do appreciate it and need it. But, I just started Spring semester yesterday and it will be different from my past experiences now. Thank you for your comments.

Barbara

wishingmary · Feb 16, 2004

Barbara,

I'm not an educator just a new RN who passed NCLEX last month. You sound like an awesome teacher. My experience is there is no way you can take the load alone. You can't cover the material in texts with lecture. I think nursing is a calling and a challenge. As nurses we want to help and sometimes we can help too much. Students who aren't engaged and expect you to spoon feed them need to grow up before getting into nursing school. Do what you can but expect them to work just as hard as you. Some people call it weeding out; it isn't of the sort. As nurses, we have to be accountable. It shouldn't be any different in nursing school. I realize schools are rated by their pass rate; make room for those who want to be there and will pass in spite of it all. That is what I can say. What is more is that I have ADHD and never repeated a class (B's) but I had to work very hard without any special treatment (I didn't want to be found out even though I was the last student on test day). I found nursing, pathophys rewarding in and of itself. It's nice the stress level is down now. These days, I spend my time on PubMed and with my children. This same inner drive is there in students if you make it an expectation. I admit I wasn't always prepared for lecture but did my best to at least have most of the material read. If I needed to review anatomy, I did that on my own.

Hope this helps relieve some of the more improperly felt personal responsibility you have for your students.

barb4575 · Feb 16, 2004

Thank you Mary!

Barbara

EmmaSwan47 · Nov 1, 2004

I teach study sessions for students and interestingly enough, the ones who are failing arent even coming. I even offered another study session at a different time and sent an email inviting the students and some still havent repsonded. I agree, you cant save all the whales.

I have to work with some of the nurses that barely passed, and probably barely passed boards and they can be dangerous... but regardless I always wanna save all the whales!! :)

carolynd · Nov 6, 2004

It always amazes me when teachers become frustrated because students don't read the text before class and are therefore unprepared for a class quiz. When I hear these complaints I begin by asking such questions as: How much have you asked the students to read? What time frame did they have to read it in? What other things were due during the same period of time (clinical prep or clinical papers). I know we have a tremendous amount of information to teach but we must look at what is necessary and what is nice to know. In my classes I am very upfront with my expectations. I have very rigid parameters but will be quite flexable within the parameters. I explain to the class that my lectures will be complete enough for them to understand the concepts. The text book is where they are to go if they are not understanding something in particular. If students will learn to skim a chapter prior to class so they can discuss in class and then read in more detail after class that suits me just fine. My quizzes are NCLEX type questions and most of the time they are considered inclass activities as I give various options for group discussion with them. No inclass activities can be made up therefore students will generally come unless a true emergency exists.

When I started teaching 10 years ago I really poured it on. I'm supprised anyone passed. Now I thy to shape my lecture/discussion periods around all learning styles. It is not my goal to teach to a book or teach to a test. I would much prefer to teach to a concept and explain that if one understands the concept the questions should be approachable. If I feel like I need to review A & P I will put it out as a pre-class assignment and students will receive points for doing it. I will rarely spend time teaching A & P or Nutrition (all those required support courses). I have found the KISS principle to be very helpful. I tell as many stories as possible to reinforce a learning point, I use humor as often as possible and most of all I remember a small quote one of my students gave me. The quote was on a little shrink wrapped washcloth folded in the shape of a star. It said - place me in warm water and watch me grow. It is my desire to place my students in a warm learning environment and I love to watch them grow. It is true not all will succeed and I may be the first to help redirect their efforts but as an instructor my job is to be their facilitator of knowledge - I choose to be an educator and watch my students grow with as little pressure from me as I can.

I am interested in learning how much critical care, cardiac, respiratory you all have in your programs (ADN level). I am also interested in finding methods instructors have used to teach community, leadership, prioritization, and professional development.

TinyNurse, RN · Nov 6, 2004

not an educator, but an ER nurse, single mom of a toddler.

If I didn't complete an assignment 2 years ago in nursing school, it was an automatic failure. I do not think you are hard on your students, you are rather easy. My nursing class was basically "threatened daily/weekly" with assingments, things that needed to be done. "do or fail"!!!

Nursing school is hard. ............ why??? because nursing is hard. nothing is given to you, you need to take ownership and be responsible. a decision is made every second and it is all on you.

if you can't make a decision and take ownership in nursing school, how are you gonna do it in the real RN world???

I've been a nurse for 1 1/2 years and now i know that the hardest instructors were the best instructors. Today i thank them for that.

Best of luck to you hopefully you teach the future well!!!!

\xoxo Jen

carolynd · Nov 7, 2004

I do not consider myself hard but I am not easy either. I believe in taking the beginning student and helping them, using warmth and understanding, to learn the concepts of nursing. I have very firm expectations (parameters) but allow human flexability within the parameters. Keeping a student at a constant level of severe anxiety is not the way to teach. It is the way to cripple. I believe there are excellent students who will be terrific nurses and can withstand constant pressures but there are many more who will be excellent nurses but during nursing school are juggling an almost unbearable load. I want a student in the long run to be a caring and confident nurse. I want one who understands pressures and understands grace. I want one who treats myself or my family with an attitude of compassion and I cannot teach compassion if I am only a stern judge - one to be feared. I do not tolerate unprofessional behaviors, sloppy work, lateness, etc. I do allow students to fail if that is their choice but if they want to learn I will do my best to help them. That is why I am a teacher and not working for the dollars I could receive and the shorter working hours I could work if I were simply a nurse.

not an educator, but an ER nurse, single mom of a toddler.
If I didn't complete an assignment 2 years ago in nursing school, it was an automatic failure. I do not think you are hard on your students, you are rather easy. My nursing class was basically "threatened daily/weekly" with assingments, things that needed to be done. "do or fail"!!!
Nursing school is hard. ............ why??? because nursing is hard. nothing is given to you, you need to take ownership and be responsible. a decision is made every second and it is all on you.
if you can't make a decision and take ownership in nursing school, how are you gonna do it in the real RN world???
I've been a nurse for 1 1/2 years and now i know that the hardest instructors were the best instructors. Today i thank them for that.
Best of luck to you hopefully you teach the future well!!!!
\xoxo Jen

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Dec 3, 2004

Nursing school is hard. ............ why??? because nursing is hard. nothing is given to you, you need to take ownership and be responsible. a decision is made every second and it is all on you.
if you can't make a decision and take ownership in nursing school, how are you gonna do it in the real RN world???
\xoxo Jen

You said it perfectly, tiny. Not everyonr is going to get through nursing school. If it were that easy, there'd be no nursing shortage.

In grad school, there is a concept that can not be understated: the teacher is the facilitator. We often talk about the "sage on the stage, vs. the guide on the side". I know this can't be possible in 101 or in the sciences, but I think this all ties into the critical thinking thing. And how can teachers 'facilitate' rather than 'teach' if students are not prepared?

I'm suddenly not looking forward to my future as an educator...

xmaxiex · Dec 22, 2004

Just a quick note from a new grad . I worked full time raising three kids and hustled to make the whole thing work . I graduated with honors and learned a lot . I sat next to a nurse who barely passed , did the bare minumum and skated by , barely. I now work with this nurse and she scares me ! We have been out of school 6 months and she asked me yesterday where she could find a big enough syringe to mix humalog insulin and calcitrol !?! When I explained that first off calcitrol was to be IM and insulin sub Q she looked mystified and went on to say a few other things she said oh and walked away . Scary ! Make em work for it and if they dont let em go we need GOOD nurses!