My best advice for you is to make sure you have a mentor or preceptor at the school. Make sure that your mentor is someone you can trust, someone with integrity. (unfortunately, horizontal violence is alive and well among nursing faculty, so choose your confidants and friends wisely. Stay out of interpersonal conflicts and politics.)
Hopefully the instructors who preceded you left copies of their lecture notes, etc. Some are more thorough than others. It is very difficult (but not impossible ) creating lectures purely from scratch.
Research your lecture material thoroughly, until it becomes part of you and you feel a passion for that subject. As you lecture, that enthusiasm will shine through and spark interest in the students. There is great virtue in simplicity (kiss, stay on target and to the point as possible). Less is more. Try not to drown the students with too much information. I know, I know. This is nearly impossible with ADN and BSN curricula, but try anyway LOL always let your students know what are the most important points of your lecture as you are lecturing.
I give out handouts. Caution: don't give out too many (as I did my first year of teaching and "drowned" my students). Remember the axiom: less is more. Simple handouts with the main points of your lecture save time--you will be able to get more bang for your buck, as time is very scarce with lecturing (so much information, so little time). Good handouts will enable the students to write less and concentrate on what you are saying more. I also encourage my students to use tape recorders. That way they aren't so frantic to catch my every word. If your nursing school has a web site, use it to your students' advantage. Post your lecture notes and study guides there. Your students will appreciate the convenience. I try to post my lecture notes early so the students have a chance to read my notes ahead of time.
Integrate pertinent NCLEX-type questions as you lecture. Especially after more important subjects are covered, throw out a question or two. This helps the students process the material better, and also helps with their test-taking skills.
If a study guide is included with your text book, refer to it often and have the students use it (don't recreate the wheel). If not, create a simple one yourself. The students really appreciate having them.
Writing exam questions is an art. It takes time to develop this skill. Nursing test questions are modeled after the NCLEX and are "higher order." most teachers and students (!) aren't accustomed to this type of testing at first. Instead of a simple knowledge question, you are requiring your students to think critically (analyze, evaluate, prioritize), which is so essential to safe nursing practice. All nursing textbooks come with a test bank. I would use these questions first. After awhile, you will learn to create your own. Caution: make sure you choose your test questions before you lecture, so that your lecture will include this material!
Hope this little bit of advice helps. Any other more "seasoned" veterans feel free to post here. I welcome your input.
Get the instructors manuals ( resources) for the text books you are using- they have all kinds of student activities as well as other goodies that should help you. For grading, our assignments are usually about 15% of the grade depends on the instructor though the exams carry the most weight. You will do a great job- just keep asking quesitons.
I am new to posting but not new to this site. I am not sure my questions belong in this thread so forgive me if not. I have a couple of questions.
How much psych do any of you teach in a PN program and what kind of clinical psych experience do your students get.?
In our PN program , we have about 30 hours of psych theory and then then 16 hours of clinical - 2 short shifts at the residential mental health facility, practicing therapeutic communication and observing behaviors.
How about cardiac and maternal/child in the PN program 1 credit- 2 credits?
We are still on the old clock hours system, but again spend about 30 theory hours and 16 clinical hours at the postpartum unit (if they can get in on a delivery, that is great but not required) and then in the office nursing clinical (32 hours) there is an emhasis on care of the family and an assignment about growth and development-hopefully on a well child.
As far as cardiac, it is taught as a module in our med-surg course
it might invole simle case studies done in groups about htn management and/or heart failure.
I also teach in the AD-RN program and I think we are to heavy in critical care when just the basics should be covered. We do have a " lab for the ADN students where we do case studies and other learning activities that tie in with the theory to give them that extra pratice at critical thinking. What are your thoughts on these quesitons. Thanks so much. I think we need to somehow streamline our programs but with such little time it is hard to know what to cut down on if anything.
it is hard to pare it down as you want them to be safe, I have found it is better to explore one concept/disease process in depth and make sure they know how to ask the right questions and use their resources
Any advice on your curriculums would be appreciated.
This will be a great resource for me and I am very appreciative!
Specializes in PEDS ICU, ED, Management, Home Health.
I appreciate all the information presented and I plan on utilizing the information when I start teaching in the fall for an ADN program. I am apprehensive about the whole experience, but I have several experienced intructors that I can utilize as I develop my lectures. The first class I will be teaching is Nursing Fundamentals, after being a nurse for 20 years and a preceptor for many of those years, I feel confident with this topic, but not overly confident though. Thanks again for the input and ideas.
I realize this is an old thread- but I have a couple of questions.
I have my BSN, and nearly 20 years of clinical bedside experience in multiple depts and settings. I want to teach at the BSN level.
What degree do I need to work towards?? will I need a doctorate- or is that a rumor? and does it need to be a specific sort of Nursing degree? I have been told that the Nurse Educator Masters preparation is good only to teach at the ADN level. Is that still going to be true?
I am not in a particular hurry to get started with this- which may be a good thing as I have already missed deadlines to start this fall, but I will need to understand the path I need to take to get started in my forseeable future.
I would go to the University you want to teach at and interview educators/director/dean there. Don't delay- time goes by anyway- at the University of Washington, I decided I wanted to go in November and started as a graduate non-matriculated in January and then finished up the formal application process by completion of (I think) 15 credits
I was pleased and surprised to see my post from 2004. I still Thank Vicky and Barbara for their words of wisdom. I taught as a clinical substitute in fall of 2005 then taught my first full year 2006 as an adjunct professor. I accepted a Assistant Professor position this past Spring and just went through my first evaluation process. What a different world this is from the hospital setting. I still work at the hospital system where I have worked for a few months shy of 30 years. So, the point of my little entry here is to state I have experienced much already regarding curriculum building, working with adult learners, and negotiating faculty meetings. I still feel so new and love it so much I cannot believe it. My sadness at times comes from the fact that I waited so long to experienced teaching in the nursing school setting. I am happy that I made the right choice in my MSN program. I guess the next accomplishment will be the CNE. I am fortunate right now to be fully engaged in writing the 2009 curriculum and am excited for the spring semester when I will further engaged in teaching leadership and the transition to the RN role with the students preceptorships. Yea Nursing!
psych ed- what was the "right choice" in your Masters Program? that is the part I am having problems with- how do you know what it the right path? and are things changing so that when I am done I will wish I had done something differently?
I know that with 20 years of experience and some of that precepting BSN senior students- that I have something to offer. I hope to love it as much as you are.
OK, well the right choice was too follow the path to help young...and not so young adults become RN's rather than to work within a hospital system and "educate" already working RN's. Also, I chose not to follow the path of the psych CNS or NP, realizing that at this stage of my life I wanted to teach only and would be content to have the MSN in Nursing Education. At times I feel I should go back for the classes that would allow me to have the CNS or NP in order to be called an Advanced Practice Nurse and have more status in my professional nursing organization but for what real benefit that has any meaning to me would I gain? In nursing, there are so many options...I may change my mind in a year or two and will be off and running for that PhD!!!
My name is Tonya, I'm an RN, BSN and I started my first teaching position last week. I have almost 5 years experience, in med-surg-ortho and neonatal intensive care. Bedside teaching was/is on of my favorite parts of my career and I am so excited to share that now with students in a PN program. I'm going to try and treat my students like my patients. I know that each student and even each class will have different needs. I am nervous to teach the right things in the best way possible. I know I can do this.
after 33 years in nursing, this gal who loves preceptoring and nursing education has signed a contract to be a clinical instructor for a small nursing program! I am excited to help nursing students grow and nervous that I won't be good enough. Class starts July 7th... I'll be reading all of your entries, trying to learn from all of you!
I am graduating December 08 with MSN in Nursing Education. I joined Allnurse today and was reading some posts under this forum. I read your 2004 entry and was delighted with the follow-up post. It feels good to hear that you are happy with your decision to teach. I hope to teach at the BSN level. Wish me luck:
Specializes in ICU/Cosmetic Sx/Lasers/Education/School/.
I start my first time teaching at an ADN Program in September. I willl go to an orientation next week for FT/PT instructors. I am going to be working PT teaching clinical only. I am so excited and nervous. I believe this is something that I will truly love to do!!! Any tips would be apprecitiated. I am fortunate to know a lot of the Nursing Instructors since I graduated from there, but they are teaching 2nd and 3rd year. I will be working with the nursing faculty teaching first year students, so I don't know them at all, but I will always have my prior instructors to run to if needed. I am coming into this semester teaching second semester. I hope I get everything I need before clinical starts so I don't start out blindly. I was told that the faculty I am working with started their course from scratch, this course was not offered when I went to school there. It is a new course. Oh, I can't wait!!!!
shadowapollo
10 Posts
Get the instructors manuals ( resources) for the text books you are using- they have all kinds of student activities as well as other goodies that should help you. For grading, our assignments are usually about 15% of the grade depends on the instructor though the exams carry the most weight. You will do a great job- just keep asking quesitons.